Sugar & Butter
by Dreamsong II
Summary: A sweet AU where Adrien never went to school and Marinette's dream is to be a baker like her papa. Set 2 years after they receive their Miraculouses. Lots of sweet and fluff with a bit of drama. (A republishing and continuation under my new username).
1. Prologue: What's Inside

_Sugar, sugar  
Sugar, butter_

The sun had yet to begin it's rise and so the sky was still dark as Marinette quietly made her way down the stairs of the upstairs apartment she shared with her parents. Outside, the air was cool as it hit her face and she smiled.

It was a perfect morning for baking.

 _Sugar, butter  
Sugar, butter, flour_

She unlocked the front door of the bakery and let herself into the kitchen in the back, bringing up her music on her phone. It felt like an acoustic sort of morning. Still smiling to herself, she brought up the playlist and music filled the silent kitchen.

 _Sugar, butter, flour  
Sugar, butter, flour_

Patrol had kept her out late and she'd only gotten two hours of sleep, but she never would have let that keep her from this. This was her heaven, her one perfect place in the world, where she could always figure things out.

 _Sugar, butter, flour  
Sugar, butter, flour_

She took her apron from the wall, flipping it over her head and tying the strings around her waist with the familiarity only years of the same action could provide. Then she moved to the pantry in the back.

 _My hands pluck the things I know that I'll need  
I take the sugar and butter from the pantry_

She began measuring things out into their proper places, even as the four ovens began to heat. The kitchen warmed around her as her feet and hands followed the dance.

 _I add the flour to begin what I am hoping to start  
And then it's down with the recipe  
And bake from the heart_

It was her dance, and hers alone, and she knew every step by heart. She wasn't usually a graceful person, but here, in her heaven, she never had to worry about other people watching and so she never stumbled.

 _Sugar_

Chat had asked again last night. It had been months since he'd brought it up last and she'd been beginning to hope that he had finally let it go. But no, her luck didn't stretch that far.

 _And butter_

He wanted to know who she was, wanted to tell her who he really was, but she had given him the same excuses. It was safer this way, right? But the excuses were beginning to stale with each time she spoke them, and she wondered how much long they would last.

 _And flour_

Something held her back and she couldn't put a voice to it. She couldn't name it, no matter how badly she wished she could. She had no way to express it. All she could do was bake it away into the scones and macaroons and pies and hope that when the time came, so would the words.

 _And mother_

"Its smells delicious," her mother said as she poked her head into the kitchen and gestured to the pie Marinette had set to cool near the window. "What's inside today?"

Marinette looked up and smiled.

"Cinnamon and apples. Cheese bread coming and the scones are all berry today."

 _What's inside?  
Everyone wants to know what's inside  
And I always tell them but I  
Feel more than words can say_

"Well, we're sure to sell out," Sabine said with a proud smile. "The line is already growing and we aren't even open for another half hour."

Marinette's jaw dropped.

"Maman, are you sure?"

Her mother laughed.

"Quite sure, dear. Word must have gotten out that you've taken over the Sunday morning baking, because a number of them are classmates of yours."

Sabine left her daughter staring after her. Did they really love her baking that much? She felt a huge smile growing on her face as she turned and pulled another sheet of macaroons from the oven, setting it aside to cool.

 _You wanna know what's inside?  
Simple question, so then what's the answer?  
My whole life is in here  
In this kitchen baking  
What a mess I'm making_

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A/N: No, you're not seeing double. I have previously posted this story under the simple username 'Dreamsong'. However, due to yahoo incompetance, I've been forced to make a new account on here so I'll be re-posting the old chapters for this story and the continuing on because I have a new chapter written after a rather long hiatus. Sorry guys. I hope you'll bear with me and this won't cause any problems.

Onward then, till next chapter!


	2. You're Beautiful

Chapter 1: You're Beautiful

Six thirty in the morning. Six freaking thirty in the morning and his father was already at it again. He'd been asleep, damn it! What the hell was that man on, barging into his room at six freaking thirty in the morning, just to start a new version of the same damn lecture he'd already heard so many times he'd stopped counting?

Adrien stomped down the sidewalk, a headache pounding with each step as he muttered unpleasant arguments to to himself, fighting his father after the fact, since he couldn't seem to do it to his face. That just made him angrier and he stomped a bit too hard, hurting his foot and sending a jolt of pain up his leg.

He stopped and stared down at the offending appendage, fuming uselessly.

The three hours of sleep he'd gotten weren't helping his mood at all, and the, once again, fruitless request to Ladybug to reveal themselves had been met with the same excuse as always. It was getting frustrating. He wanted to know who she was. He wanted her to know him. Hawkmoth had been so quiet the past few months, Adrien had thought perhaps the lull would have let his lady relax just a bit on the subject, but no.

The model ran a hand through his hair, making it an even bigger mess, though that hardly detracted from his looks. He'd stormed out of the house with a pair of plain jeans and a t-shirt on, instead of the usual fashion-esqe getup his father always insisted on. Pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, he sighed and leaned up against a wall, the shadows almost cold still, this early in the morning.

Paris was beginning to wake up, the people beginning to pass and give him looks which he ignored in favor of taking in his surroundings. He hadn't been paying attention when he'd been stomping and fuming, but now he realized that he'd gone quite a ways and ended up by the park. As he scanned the buildings around the park, a long line of people caught his eye and he studied it a bit more closely. People appeared to be lining up outside a still-closed bakery.

Was there a special event going on?

He wandered over to get a better look and saw that at least half of the line was made up of teens his own age. Adrien caught the eye of the nearest one and asked.

"What's going on?"

"Dude, it's Sunday!" the tall brunette replied, as though that should have explained everything.

The shorter, darker boy standing next to him saw Adrien's confusion and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"What he means is that since it is Sunday, Marinette is doing the baking. That is why there is a line."

"Marinette?" the blonde repeated.

Should that name have meant something to him? It obviously did to everyone else, as all the nearby faces smiled when it was said. The boy at the head of the line laughed and waved him up. He wore a t-shirt and jeans like most everyone else in line, but also sported a red baseball cap and glasses. Adrien followed his gesture and the guy threw his arm around Adrien's shoulders, shocking the young model, though he didn't pull away.

"Dude, you don't go to our school, or you'd know Marinette."

The guy gave him a grin and Adrien felt the corners of his mouth turning up in reply.

"Alright, I give. Who's Marinette?"

The guy threw his arms out wide.

"She's only the best baker in the city, man! Seriously, you need to try her stuff. It's like eating a piece of heaven baked by an angel."

The girl standing next to him gave him a hard elbow in the ribs and he winced before releasing Adrien to throw an arm around her and kiss her cheek.

"Of course, there's no sweeter angel than my Alya," he amended, making Alya roll her eyes and huff as a couple of the boys in the line gave cat calls.

The guy stuck out his free hand.

"I'm Nino, by the way."

"I'm Adrien," the blonde replied, taking the offered hand.

"Dude, I know. Everyone knows."

Nino pointed over Adrien's shoulder and across the street. The model turned and winced. His face was plastered across the billboard there in the latest perfume ad for Soleil d'Argent, just above the wall he'd been leaning against not three minutes ago. He turned back.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot that was there now."

Nino laughed at his expression and the redhead next to him stuck out her hand.

"I'm Alya."

Adrien shook her hand as Nino winked and said in a stage whisper, "She's the famous baker's best friend, so we always get in first. You just stick with us. We'll hook you up with the goods."

Adrien felt his grin widening into a real smile as his headache faded.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "What about…?"

He nodded backwards towards the rest of the people and Nino waved the question away.

"Oh, Marinette won't let any of us starve. They all know that. Besides, they know better than to mess with her besties, right babe?"

He winked at Alya, who snorted and crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, who's Marinette's bestie?"

"Hey, I'm riding this gravy train for all it's worth," Nino told her with a wink, making her laugh and drop her crossed arms.

Alya looked to Adrien.

"Seriously though," she told him behind her hand. "Half these guys are coming to see Marinette. The food is just a bonus, so if they start complaining, I know how to shut them up."

Adrien glanced back over the line and noticed that it did seem to have a disproportionate number of male teens in it. He turned back to Alya and Nino.

"So she's cute and she bakes? It's amazing that she's single."

That made Alya laugh.

"Not really. You'll find out as soon as you meet her. It's almost impossible to pry her out of that kitchen. Baking is her one true love, ya know?"

Adrien wished with all his heart that he could be as passionate about what he loved as this girl apparently was. He hadn't even met her yet and he was a bit jealous of her, but at the same time it made him want to meet her even more.

Nino checked his phone and grinned.

"Hey, guys!" he called. "It's seven!"

A cheer went up from the people in line and they all watched in anticipation as the middle-aged Chinese woman made her way to the door with a sweet smile.

"Good morning Nino, Alya," she greeted, letting the two in question slip quickly past her before the masses could stampede.

Alya grabbed Adrien's arm and dragged him in after her as the Chinese woman, with a look of mild surprise at the action, turned to the first customer in line with a warm smile.

"That's Marinette's mom, Mrs. Cheng," the girl said as she continued to drag the blonde in her wake. "Now, keep quiet. We might catch her in action."

"Who? Marinette? Catch her doing what?"

The girl paused as they reached the other side of the counter and rolled her eyes.

"Just listen. What do you hear?"

Adrien listened and could hear music playing further back in the direction they were clearly going to go. Alya nodded, having seen something change in his face, and put a finger to her lips with a wink. Nino grinned and Adrien followed the two toward the door that must have led to the kitchen.

Alya, after prepping her phone to record, cracked the door enough that all three could see if they stacked themselves just right, and when Adrien spotted her, his jaw dropped.

 _My life is brilliant.  
My love is pure._

The kitchen was warm and a mouth-watering wave of delicious smells rolled over them like a blanket. Sunshine from the windows made the room a patchwork of light and shadow.

 _I saw an angel.  
Of that I'm sure._

And there, amid the sparkling patchwork and delicious smells, danced an angel. Her dark hair was a lovely mess, pulled up in a bun on her head, stray strands escaping in a charming way. She moved in time to the music that was playing, mixing things into bowls and swirling designs onto finished pastries.

 _You're beautiful. You're beautiful.  
You're beautiful, it's true._

Every move was confident and graceful, a dance in her own little world, and in that moment, Adrien knew exactly why all those boys had lined up to see this little baker. She was mesmerizing.

If he hadn't already been in love with Ladybug, he would have fallen head over heels in that heartbeat.

If only.

 _I saw your face in a crowded place,  
And I don't know what to do,  
Cause I'll never be with you._

She spun like a leisurely ballerina, picking up a bowl of powdered sugar as she did, and spinning back in the same movement to spread the sugar like falling snow across a tray of scones. The bowl was set down even as her feet waltzed her to an oven to pull out a tray of croissants and set them to cooling.

Then she glanced up.

 _Yes, she caught my eye,  
As we walked on by._

Her eyes were huge and the loveliest shade of blue as they met his. If he hadn't already been in love…

 _She could see from my face that I was,  
Flying high._

Adrien saw her cheeks go pink and knew it was nothing to do with the warmth of the kitchen. He felt his own face heating, but couldn't look away from those beautiful eyes.

She was enchanting, with her flour-brushed cheeks and pink lips parted just enough to make them look that much more kissable. Everything seemed to slow as they stared at each other and Adrien could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Then Alya laughed, pushing the boys away so she could get into the kitchen. The redhead threw her arms around the bluenette in a huge hug and then began brushing flour off of her friend's cheeks as she held up her phone with the video for inspection.

Nino had followed Alya, but Adrien felt as though he'd been ripped from a pleasant dream and was trying to get his bearings.

 _And I don't think that I'll see her again,  
But we shared a moment that will last 'til the end._

"This is Adrien."

The blonde came back to himself abruptly at the sound of Alya's introduction and he smiled automatically at the sweet little baker before him.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

Her big, blue eyes stared up at him, still seeming surprised, before she managed to reply.

"You too."

 _You're beautiful. You're beautiful.  
You're beautiful, it's true._

Adrien tried to get ahold of himself as the Nino and Alya took great pleasure in telling Marinette all about the line of, mostly guys, that had been waiting outside.

He loved Ladybug. He was just surprised because she'd been so much prettier than he'd expected. After all, there weren't many people who could compare with his lady. That would have been a shock to anyone, right?

 _I saw your face in a crowded place,  
And I don't know what to do,  
'Cause I'll never be with you._

"This guy," Nino said, pointing over his shoulder to Adrien. "Hadn't heard about your famous pastries yet, so we made him come in to try some."

Those big, blue eyes turned on the model again and his breath caught for a second.

"What's your favorite?" she asked with a little smile.

Even her voice was sweet. There had to be a law against that somewhere.

"Anything chocolate," he said with an equal smile.

She frowned adorably, lost in thought for a moment, then lit up with a smile as she clapped her hands together.

"I don't usually make many chocolate things, but I did make some petits pains au chocolat earlier. Hold on."

She moved over to one of the cooling tables, picking up a plate on the way.

"What's your favorite fruit?" she asked as she plated several pastries.

"Um, strawberries."

"Ah, a classic, I see," she said with a grin, turning away to put a couple more things on the plate.

Returning, she handed him the plate with a grin.

"On the house. Whoops."

She spun away and headed for one of the ovens, though no alarm had gone off that he'd heard, and brought out a tray of steaming cheese bread with a satisfied smile.

"Perfect."

 _You're beautiful. You're beautiful.  
You're beautiful, it's true._

For the first time since he'd met Ladybug, he wished for just a moment that he wasn't in love with the amazing, frustrating girl, because to fall in love with this adorable little baker would have been heavenly.

 _There must be an angel with a smile on her face,  
When she thought up that I should be with you.  
But it's time to face the truth,  
I will never be with you._

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A/N: The song is "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt.

Hope you guys will bear with me if you've read these chapters before but I swear I have a new one to add. Till next chapter!


	3. Can't Help Falling

Chapter 2: Can't Help Falling

She'd been caught completely off guard. He was all gorgeous blonde hair and statuesque physique, but it had been his eyes that caught her first.

 _Wise men say only fools rush in_

She'd looked up and those eyes, those brilliant green eyes had frozen her in place. They'd made her heart race. They'd made her want to stutter and hide, even as they made her want to get closer and fall into them.

 _But I can't help falling in love with you_

What the hell was wrong with her?

Alya was making her watch the video again. Marinette couldn't see why it was apparently so fascinating. She was baking, like she did all the time. What was so special about that?

 _Oh, shall I stay, would it be a sin_

Marinette groaned and pushed her best friend's phone away.

"Alya, I don't know why you insist on taking those videos, but I need to get back to work."

"Alright girl, alright. We can take a hint. Join us when you're done."

"Sure," Marinette said with a smile.

Her friend grinned and turned.

"Come on, boys. Mush, mush."

"Suddenly we're dogs now?" Nino complained as Alya pushed him toward the door, laughing, and grabbing the green-eyed boy as she passed him.

He was still staring at her and Marinette felt her whole face go red again.

 _Oh, if I can't help falling in love with you?_

As soon as her friends and the new boy were out of the kitchen, Marinette threw her apron over her face and sank to the floor, screaming internally because she knew Alya would still be able to hear.

What the hell was wrong with her?

"Oh, Marinette," she heard Tikki giggle in her ear, even as her kwami patted her cheek sympathetically.

The baker looked up.

"Tikki, what's wrong with me?"

The kwami giggled again.

"It's love!"

 _Like a river flows, surely to the sea_

"What? N-no, no, that's crazy. I don't even know him!"

"You say that like it matters."

"It does!"

"It doesn't."

"It should!"

Tikki just laughed.

 _Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be_

Marinette took a deep, bracing breath and stood. She had things to do and she could smell that the last tray of croissants were done. She quickly rescued them from their oven and left them to cool for a few minutes as she plucked the pan of caramel off the stove and began drizzling it over the already-cooled apple tarts.

She tried her best to pick up her dance where she'd left off, but it kept eluding her. Every time she reached for the familiar rhythm those eyes jumped into her mind and every time she found the beat, that adorable smile popped into her head and sent her heart racing.

After the third dropped pastry, she gave up, slamming the tray back down onto the counter and taking a few slow, deep breaths. This was baking. It was the one thing she loved above any other. Never in her life had she been so frustrated by something that she couldn't bake it out. Never in her life had she been so upset about something that it made her drop pastries.

But she wasn't upset. Yes, she was a little frustrated, but that was from not being able to make her hands work right.

What was this?

She sighed heavily and looked over to the kwami who was munching on a cookie and watching her with knowing eyes. Was Tikki right? Was she in love with a boy she'd said all of two words to?

That was ridiculous, but…

Damn, it would explain it.

"It's not fair, Tikki. I don't want to be in love."

The kwami giggled.

"Oh, Marinette."

 _Take my hand, take my whole life too_

Once more, the baker dove into her work, forcing all thoughts of green eyes and adorable smiles from her mind to try and make her hands work right. She was a little slower now, but the job was done right and no one would know the difference.

Her mother came in periodically to gather up new plates of things to restock what had been sold until finally, there was only one plate of scones left to be taken out. Marinette smiled down at it as Tikki hid in one of her apron pockets.

Then, she picked up the plate and marched out of the kitchen.

 _Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you_

She was greeted by cheers as soon as she was spotted and she stopped dead in her tracks, shocked to see that the place was still packed, nearly three hours after opening. Then she laughed at her classmates' enthusiasm and moved forward.

Marinette spotted Alya and Nino with Adrien toward the back of the crowd, and grinned at her best friend, doing her best not to look at the handsome boy. Still, her gaze wandered for just a moment and she felt her heart stop as their eyes met again.

She was so screwed.

 _Oh, like a river flows, surely to the sea_

Max and Kim where there, along with Nathaniel and quite a few boys who weren't in her class at all. Apparently Alya hadn't been exaggerating about the number of males who'd been waiting, but surely they weren't all here just to see her.

Rose, Juleka, and Alex were all there too, and Marinette offered them all the scones, which were happily accepted, but through it all, she could feel Adrien's eyes on her.

 _Darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be_

There was a good reason she always played Chat's advances off as a joke. There was a reason she'd turned down both boys who'd gotten up the courage to ask her out. There was a reason she never worried about dating.

She had dreams. She had a plan. And they most certainly did not include a boy, no matter how much he made her blush and sent her heart racing. She didn't want to be distracted. She only had two more years of school before she could move on to bigger things, and she didn't need to waste those years fawning over some boy. Some green-eyed boy with the most adorable smile she'd ever seen.

No. She was not going to fall for anyone, even him, no matter what he made her feel.

And yet…

Her eyes strayed to his again and she felt the light blush creep onto her face.

Damn it.

For the first time in her life, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was head-over-heels in love, and it was the last thing she wanted to be.

 _Oh, take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you  
Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you_

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A/N: The song is "Can't Help Falling in Love". Originally by Elvis, but I prefer the Haley Reinhart version for this chapter. If you're interested it the playlist for this story, look up "Sugar & Butter" on spotify and if you have trouble finding it, PM me for a link. :)

In case any of you are new to this story, each chapter is based around a song. Hope you're enjoying so far and don't forget to drop me a review and let me know what you think! Till next chapter!


	4. Things I'll Never Say

Chapter 3: Things I'll Never Say

"So what school you go to?" Nino was asking Adrien as Marinette drew closer.

"I've been homeschooled, actually," the blonde replied. "My father felt it would be better for my education since the modeling takes up so much of my time and doesn't leave me a regular schedule."

"Modeling?" Marinette repeated, surprised.

Alya laughed and pointed out the window. Confused, the little baker followed the gesture and her eyes went wide when she saw it. That's why he looked familiar! There was a giant billboard on the other side of the park with his face on it. Her eyes went wide as she turned to the blonde.

"S-sorry!" she stuttered, embarrassed as much by her lack of knowledge as she was by his direct stare. "I-I didn't realize. I mean, I see that billboard every day so it just sort of slips past my notice, you know?"

He shook his head.

"No, please, don't worry about it. I don't really like having my face plastered all over Paris. It's nice to find someone who didn't recognize me right off."

He gave her that adorable grin and she felt herself flush anew. Mentally, she was screaming at herself. She didn't need some boy in her life! What was she doing? But all the logic in the world didn't stop her heart from picking up it's pace.

"Wait a minute," said Alya. "If you don't like having your face on every corner in Paris, why do you model?"

Adrien shrugged, looking unhappy.

"My father insists. He's got big plans for me taking over the family business someday and those plans include modeling as long as possible."

The other three frowned.

"Doesn't sound like you like his plan much," said Nino.

The model shrugged again.

"I've been in the industry so long it's all I really know. I mean, I have plenty of colleagues I'm friendly with, but I don't know that I'd call them actual friends. I feel like I've missed out on a lot. Just wish he'd let me do something normal for a change, like everyone else."

Nino, Alya, and Marinette exchanged glances, speaking volumes without a word, and then Nino threw an arm around Adrien.

"Dude, that's about to change."

"What?"

The other boy pointed proudly to himself.

"I'm Nino, friend number one."

He pointed to the grinning redhead.

"That's Alya, friend number two."

Then he gestured to the baker.

"And Marinette makes friend number three."

Adrien looked shocked and unsure what to say. His expression made Alya laugh and Marinette giggle. His glance caught hers and she blushed again.

"You… all want to be my friends?" he asked uncertainly.

"Sure," said Alya, crossing her arms. "You seem like a decent enough person. For a celebrity."

He looked at her, confused for a moment before Nino laughed and Adrien realized she'd been teasing him.

"Seriously, dude, lighten up."

"I-If you want," Marinette said. "We can all head over to the park for lunch in another hour. I need to get cleaned up, but all the baking is done for the day."

"Awesome plan," Nino said, giving her a thumbs up.

"Why don't you boys go get the food and meet us there?" Alya suggested, slipping her arm through Marinette's. "Nino knows what we like, right?"

"Sure thing, babe," the boy in question replied with a wink.

Alya dragged Marinette away as the boys headed for the door. The redhead dragged Marinette behind her and up all three flights of stairs to the baker's room. She slammed the door closed and turned on Marinette with shining eyes that made her best friend back away a step.

"Alya?"

"You like him!" she accused, pointing a finger at Marinette.

"W-what? W-what are you talking about? Like who?"

She felt her face going red and knew as soon as the words were out of her mouth that she wasn't fooling anyone. Crap.

"Adrien. You're in love with Adrien Agreste!"

"Shhh!" Marinette hissed, waving her hands in the air. "You don't have to shout it. Okay, so he's handsome and I might have a little crush on him. So what's the big deal? I've barely spoken to him."

Alya put her hands on her hips and gave her a knowing look that was far too close to the one Tikki had been giving her earlier for comfort.

"Girl, the big deal is that you've never had a crush. This is huge!"

She clapped her hands in excitment and gave Marinette a crushing hug.

"I'm so proud! My girl's growing up!"

Marinette laughed as Alya released her.

"Seriously, it's not that big of a deal, but thanks? I guess?"

"Oh! We have to find you something cute to wear! You go get cleaned up and I'll do some closet recon."

Marinette's eyes went wide.

"W-what? Alya, no, I don't nee—"

But her best friend was already pushing her towards the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Marinette blinked stupidly at the closed door for a minute, fighting between horror and laughter. Finally, she gave in and laughed.

Done washing up, she returned to her room to find that Alya had indeed gone through her entire closet and picked out three different outfits that were apparently approved for Marinette-with-a-crush.

"I'm thinking the one with the skirt."

"Alya, they all have skirts."

"Exactly," agreed the redhead. "That's why my choices are perfect."

Marinette laughed.

The outfit she ended up in was one she hadn't worn often, mostly because there was a skirt, but Alya had insisted, and it was extremely comfortable. The top was white with cap sleeves and the skirt was soft and pink with little white polka dots strewn across it. Her best friend had then insisted she wear a pair of little white flats she'd unearthed, but after that, Marinette put her foot down.

She would not let Alya do anything about her messy bun, no matter how much the redhead argued, and no, she was not going to put on makeup. The line had to be drawn somewhere. It was a crush, not love. She shouldn't have to try that hard, right?

When Alya finally rolled her eyes and gave in, the two walked arm-in-arm back downstairs and to the street. They could see the boys in the park, talking and laughing as they waited, and headed straight for them.

As they neared, Marinette felt a new case of nerves overcome her and she looked down, blushing, as Nino and Adrien looked up and greeted them.

 _I'm tugging at my hair  
I'm pulling at my clothes  
I'm trying to keep my cool  
I know it shows_

She hated feeling like this, even more awkward and uncoordinated than usual, but Alya hadn't let her go yet, so she couldn't run away. Against her will, her brain began racing through the other outfits Alya had let her chose from, wondering if she would have looked better in one of those instead, then immediately chiding herself, because she was being stupid.

Adrien probably didn't even like her that much anyway and all this would fade in a few days. Right?

 _I'm staring at my feet  
My cheeks are turning red  
I'm searching for the words inside my head_

Marinette looked up and smiled at Nino and then Adrien as though she didn't feel like her knees were weak and her head was spinning and her heart was racing and…

No, everything was like it was with every other boy. Normal, calm. They were friends, going to have lunch together in the park.

 _Cause I'm feeling nervous  
Trying to be so perfect_

Then Adrien smiled down at her and she almost lost it, feeling her face heat up, yet again. It wasn't fair that he was so handsome. He probably didn't feel a thing.

Maybe she should have let Alya do something different with her hair. Would it have killed her to put on eyeliner?

She mentally kicked herself.

 _Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it_

Nino had gotten sandwiches from a café down the road that was a particular favorite of both girls and he got a kiss from Alya for reading her mind.

Marinette thanked Nino and they fell into talking about the new expansion coming out for their favorite video game. When Adrien chimed in with his own opinion about which character had the best special move, Marinette felt her heart flutter and melt just a little bit more for the green-eyed boy.

 _If I could say what I want to say  
I'd say I wanna blow you away_

"Hey babe, what's wrong?" Nino asked Alya, seeing that she was frowning at her phone.

"Oh, I was just wishing I had new footage for the Ladyblog," she told him, looking up. "I haven't seen Ladybug or Chat Noir in months."

"Wait, you're the one who runs the Ladyblog!" Adrien asked, his eyes lighting up. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere!"

Alya grinned proudly.

"That's me! You follow it?"

"Oh yeah," he said with a firm nod. "Where else would I hear all the good theories? I'm a huge Ladybug fan."

Marinette felt herself blush.

 _Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?  
If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down  
On one knee_

"Me too!" agreed Alya. "So is Nino, but Marinette's a huge Chat Noir fan."

She grinned over at her friend, who shrugged, still blushing.

"He never gets the credit he deserves," the bluenette insisted. "He's right along side Ladybug saving Paris and should get more attention than he does. It's like people think he's a sidekick and he's not! He's her partner. There's no way Ladybug would have lasted this long saving Paris on her own."

Alya was shooting the blonde boy a grin that said she knew all of the baker's arguments on the subject and enjoyed getting the rise out of her. Marinette frowned slightly at Alya, knowing she had walked into that one like she always did, and found her gaze wandering to Adrien's. There was a slight blush forming on his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck, almost nervously.

"Y-you really think so?"

Marinette nodded emphatically, even as his eyes made her stutter.

"D-definitely."

 _Marry me today  
Guess, I'm wishing my life away  
With these things I'll never say_

"Well, I need to get home," Alya said, crumpling up the wrapping from her sandwich as she stood and looked to Nino. "Walk me?"

"Anything for you, babe," her boyfriend replied with a wink, following suit.

He gave a wave to Adrien and Marinette.

"Hey, dude, be sure to text me next time you're free, alright? We'll hit up that arcade I was telling you about."

"Sure thing," Adrien replied with a grin and a wave.

 _It don't do me any good  
It's just a waste of time_

Marinette was looking at Alya with panic written all over her face and a desperate plea for the other girl to stay in her eyes, but the redhead just winked and waved cheerily to her friend.

"Don't have too much fun, girl."

And then they were alone.

 _What use is it to you  
What's on my mind  
If it ain't coming out  
We're not going anywhere  
So why can't I just tell you that I care_

Marinette fidgeted with the wrappings of her sandwich, her mind suddenly and completely blank as a nervous panic crawled up her throat and strangled her voice. Crap!

She couldn't look up, couldn't meet his gaze, and had no idea where to start a conversation. Should she keep talking about Chat and Ladybug? Or would that hit too close to home? Did she dare go into a subject she could slip up on, especially when she seemed so much more prone to slip up with this particular boy around? Was there another subject she could bring up? What subject would that even be? She hardly knew anything about him! She knew he liked video games and was a model who was homeschooled. What could she do with that?

 _Cause I'm feeling nervous  
Trying to be so perfect  
Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it_

"S-so, you're h-homeschooled?" she finally managed.

She dared to look up and his gaze sent a furious blush across her face and she knew he could clearly see it.

"Yeah, I am."

'Speak, Marinette! Open your mouth and say something!' her inner voice screamed at her.

"W-what's that like?"

She wanted to kick herself. Was that a stupid question? She had no idea. She should have picked a different topic!

 _If I could say what I want to say  
I'd say I wanna blow you away_

He chuckled.

"Pretty boring, actually. A lot of studying. By myself. And then getting quizzed and tested by my dad's personal assistant, Natalie."

She bit her lip and tried valiantly to slow her heart, which had picked up in speed again at the adorable little half-grin on his face. He glanced away and she wanted to sigh in relief until he looked back at her again.

 _Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?  
If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down  
On one knee_

"What's it like to go to school?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious.

She blinked at the question for a long moment and he touched the back of his neck again.

"Sorry, was that a stupid question? I don't really have experience with this sort of thing. Being friends, I mean. With colleagues, there's always something work related to talk about, but here…"

He trailed off and she shook her head.

"N-no, no! I-it wasn't a stupid question, I was just a little surprised. I guess I've never thought about how to describe school to someone. Let me think."

She looked away thoughtfully, studying the trees and the fountain, feeling his gaze on her, and feeling glad that they were sitting because her legs probably wouldn't hold her up very well at the moment.

 _Marry me today  
Guess, I'm wishing my life away  
With these things I'll never say_

"Well, it starts at eight o'clock every morning. I'm late. A lot."

She shrugged and laughed ruefully to herself.

"You'd think getting up before the sun to bake on a regular basis would mean I'd always be early, but, well, yeah."

She laughed self-consciously again and forged on. She had a topic and she going to go for it.

"W-we have assigned seats that we get at the beginning of the year and f-for the most part we stay in the same classroom most of the day, except for things like P.E. w-where you go to the stadium, or science, when we're in the lab."

 _What's wrong with my tongue  
These words keep slipping away_

"S-sometimes at the b-beginning of the year we're assigned to different classes, instead of the one from the previous year, so we have slightly different classmates each time. Alya, Nino, and I h-have been in the same class now for two years and h-hopefully it'll be three when the school year starts."

She made a face.

"I just hope I don't have Chloe. Again."

"Chloe? You don't mean the mayor's daughter, do you?" Adrien asked, surprised by the tone this sweet girl had used when she'd said the girl's name.

Those big blue eyes looked up and he felt his blush redouble.

"You know her?" the little baker asked, her face having lost the adorable little blush she'd had for most of the time she'd been speaking.

"Um, well, yeah. I've known her for years."

Marinette made that disgusted face again and Adrien found that he was surprised that this sweet girl could dislike anyone.

 _I stutter, I stumble  
Like I've got nothing to say_

"I take it you don't like her?" he said, though it was a question that had clearly already been answered by the look on her face.

She shook her head vehemently.

"I've had that brat in my class for the past six years. I don't know if I can deal with another year. She's why so many people in my class have been akumitized, you know."

Adrien's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah," she said with a nod, meeting his gaze directly again. "I think the only people in my class who haven't been akumitized are…"

She trailed off with a little frown, obviously thinking, and then her frown deepened.

"Me? I think I'm the only one who hasn't been akumitized."

She started counting people off on her fingers as she murmured their names to herself.

"Nino, Alya, Ivan, Sabrina, Nathaniel, Alex, Rose, Juleka, Chloe, Lila, Kim, Max, Mylene…"

The little baker stopped and looked back to him, eyes widening a bit.

"I'm the only one. And most of them were set off by Chloe."

Adrien decided in that moment that maybe he should keep a closer eye on the little baker from now on. If Chloe had set off everyone else in her class to be akumitized, surely even this sweet girl couldn't be immune forever.

The model frowned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that." He sighed. "I mean, she's always been nice to me."

He shrugged and looked back to Marinette, who was giving him a strange look.

"W-what?"

"S-seriously? Of course she's always been nice to you. Have you seen yourself?"

Adrien felt the blush rising again and reached up to touch the back of his neck nervously. Of course he knew he was good looking, but did people really treat him so differently because of it? Was Marinette being nice because of it? No, that was stupid. She'd been as sweet as the things she baked to everyone who'd been in the store this morning. Surely she couldn't have faked that. No, that was definitely just part of who she was, he decided.

 _Cause I'm feeling nervous  
Trying to be so perfect  
Cause I know you're worth it  
You're worth it_

She was shaking her head now and he realized he'd been awkwardly silent for too long.

"S-sorry," she stammered, looking down at the sandwich wrapper she'd started fidgeting with again. "I-I shouldn't have—"

"No, you're probably right," he interrupted her before she could go on. "I guess I've just never thought about it. I mean, most of the people I work with models. I guess it just never occurred to me that people might treat me differently because of my face."

She was blushing again and it was adorable. He didn't want to look away, even as Ladybug's face flitted through his mind.

 _Guess I'm wishing my life away  
With these things I'll never say_

If only…

 _If I could say what I want to say  
I'd say I wanna blow you away  
Be with you every night  
Am I squeezing you too tight?_

She stood abruptly, crumpling up her wrapper.

"W-well, I-I should probably get b-back," she stammered, voice shaking. "T-to the b-bakery."

He didn't want to leave things so awkwardly. He liked this sweet girl and they'd been talking so easily for a while there. Had he upset her? Would she not want to be friends after all? Had he done something wrong?

Adrien had no idea and not a clue how to fix it.

 _If I could say what I want to see  
I want to see you go down  
On one knee_

"Y-yeah, okay," he said after a moment. "I'll see you around then?"

She nodded nervously and dashed off back towards the bakery. He watched her go, his good mood deflating faster and faster the further away she got.

He made himself turn away, but he didn't want to go home yet. He didn't want to face his father and deal with the rest of what he called his life, so he leaned back in the bench and stared up through the leaves in the trees around him.

 _Marry me today_

Marinette paused at the door that led to the apartment and glanced back to see that he was still sitting there, looking a bit like a lost puppy and thoroughly unhappy as he stared up into the trees.

 _Guess, I'm wishing my life away  
With these things I'll never say_

She glanced down, biting her lip.

 _These things I'll never say_

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A/N: The song is "Things I'll Never Say" by Avril Lavigne.

Till next chapter!


	5. Who I'd Be

Chapter 4: Who I'd Be

Marinette's courage had failed her and she'd turned and retreated inside the bakery. She wasn't needed in the afternoons and so there was nothing for her to do except head back to her room. She attempted to read for half an hour before she knew it was a lost cause. She'd been staring at the same page for ten minutes before she sighed and closed the book, heading for her rooftop instead. She may as well enjoy the day.

That was when she spotted the model, still sitting on the bench where she'd left him, staring up into the trees. Marinette frowned at herself, then pulled out her phone to call Alya, who was not thrilled.

"Girl, you get your sugar-coated butt back out there and apologize!"

"But—"

"Don't you 'but Alya' me. We've been friends too long for me to let you pass up this golden opportunity with the love of your life just because you got a little nervous and freaked out, you hear?"

"Alya, he probably thinks I'm a giant weirdo now and, besides, he probably doesn't feel anything like that towards me!"

"And how will you know for sure unless you go talk to him?"

Marinette groaned.

"That's what I thought. He still out there?"

"Yes."

"Then go! You got this, girl! I know you do. Just be yourself."

Marinette took a deep breath, bracing herself.

"Okay, you're right. I can do this!"

"That's my girl!"

Adrien's eyes popped open when the smell of fresh croissants suddenly hit him and he saw that a paper bag had appeared right in front of his face. He turned and saw that Marinette was standing behind the bench and was watching him with a nervous smile. His mood suddenly brightened and he gave her a huge grin.

"You came back."

"Y-yeah, s-sorry," she replied, looking sheepish. "I-I just…"

She trailed off, not wanting to admit she had been nervous because she was completely in love with him.

"It's okay," he replied, standing up and walking around to her side. "I didn't mean to scare you off."

"N-no! It wasn't you, i-it's just that…" she trailed off with a sigh and pushed the bag towards him until he took it. "T-there's a reason I bake instead of talk."

He grinned and dug a croissant out of the bag, munching away at it happily, and gesturing in an invitation to walk. Marinette smiled and they fell into step, beginning to wander around the park.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier," he said around a mouthful. "But you're seriously the best baker in France."

She blushed scarlet.

"R-really? Y-you think so?"

"Absolutely. I have gourmet chefs at home that you'd put to shame."

Marinette was so flustered by the praise she could barely manage to squeak a 'thank you'.

"So," he asked as he finished off the first croissant. "What's your favorite thing to bake?"

"F-favorite thing to bake?" she repeated, still blushing furiously, and then laughed. "That's, that's like, like asking me what my favorite book or song is. That's an impossible question!"

She laughed again and he looked at her curiously.

"Why?"

The baker bit her lower lip and looked away, lost in thought for a long moment.

"Oh, how do I say it? I-it's like, every book or song that I love is because I've found a little piece of myself it in. The same sort of thing applies to baking. For me, anyway. Every pie, every pastry, every loaf of bread, I put a little piece of myself in it and I get something even grander back out."

She giggled self-consciously when she saw he was staring at her, and blushed prettily.

"T-that probably sounds pretty stupid, huh?"

He shook his head.

"No, not at all. I think it's beautiful. I wish I had something like that in my life."

She looked at him, surprised.

"You don't?"

He shrugged.

"Well, no. I guess I haven't really had a chance to figure out what I want for my life because I'm so busy trying to keep up with what my father wants for it."

"Alright," she said as he finished off the second croissant and tossed the bag away in a passing trashcan. "Then tell me, what would you be, if you could be anything in the world?"

He glanced over at her and caught a mischievous glint in her eye that seemed to challenge him. He grinned, clasping his hands behind his back as they strolled, and looked to the sky.

What would he be?

He decided to tease her a little bit.

 _"I guess I'd be a hero  
With sword and armor clashing  
Looking semi dashing  
A shield within my grip."_

He paused to strike a noble pose, pretending he was holding a sword and shield, and she giggled, widening his own grin. Adrien found he liked the sound, so he went on.

 _"Or else I'd be a viking  
And live a life of daring  
While smelling like a herring  
Upon a viking ship"_

"A herring?" Marinette repeated.

She made a face of such disgust that it was his turn to laugh. Then he jumped up onto a bench they were passing and pointed to a horizon he couldn't see for the buildings.

 _"I'd sail away, I'd see the world  
I'd reach the farthest reaches  
I'd feel the wind, I'd taste the salt and sea  
And maybe storm, some beaches"_

He gave a battle cry and jumped down, making the little baker laugh in delight. Then he leaned closer with a fierce grin on his face.

 _"That's who I'd be, that's who I'd be."_

Marinette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, even as his sudden proximity made her blush darken.

"I-I don't know. I can't see you as Viking."

He struck a model's pose with a cheeky grin.

"I know, I know, too good looking, right?" he told her with a wink, making her snort a laugh, even as her heart sped up and her blush darkened.

"Alright then," he continued.

 _"Or I could be a poet  
And write a different story  
One that tells of glory  
And wipes away the lies"_

She nodded thoughtfully as he looked up and threw his arms wide.

 _"Into the skies I'd throw it  
The stars would do the telling  
The moon would help with spelling  
And night would dot the 'I's"_

"So the moon is a good speller? I'll have to remember that," she quipped with another cute giggle.

He wrinkled his nose at her, still grinning.

 _"I'd write my verse, recite a joke  
With wit and perfect timing"_

Adrien picked up her hand and held it to his heart as he continued dramatically.

 _"I'd share my heart, confess the things I yearn  
And do it all while rhyming"_

Her blush deepened again, her laugh a bit nervous this time and he dropped her hand to continue their stroll as he pondered what he'd actually said.

People considered Chat Noir a hero, but it wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounded.

 _But we all learn, but we all learn  
A hero always hides  
A hero's fate is known  
A hero always stays  
In the dark and all alone_

But he wasn't really alone. He had Ladybug, didn't he?

"Would you really want to be a hero?" Marinette asked, seeming to have been lost in her own thoughts as well. "It… seems rather lonely, don't you think? I mean, Ladybug and Chat Noir, nobody even knows who they are. Wouldn't that be hard? Keeping that kind of secret from everyone? Especially the people close to you?"

She paused and glanced up at him, blushing, and feeling as though she'd said too much, but Adrien simply looked thoughtful for a long moment.

"Yeah," he said after a long moment, in which they left the park and moved out onto the sidewalks. "But at the same time, think of all the good they do, all the people they help. It would be the greatest calling in the world!"

He grinned and grabbed her hand.

"Come on."

Then he took off running, a huge grin on his face and a shocked Marinette in his wake. He ran a full six blocks all out before they both had to stop catch their breath. The model leaned on the little baker as he panted and she gave a faint laugh, trying to push him off, which made him laugh and lean a bit more.

She slipped away from him, laughing when it made him unbalance and flail. As he righted himself, she kept walking and he darted after her. Catching up, he continued his original train of thought in a mischievous tone.

 _"So yes, I'd be a hero  
And if my wish were granted  
Life would be enchanted  
Or so the stories say"_

He tugged her arm to pull her down another street which let out onto the Eiffel Tower grounds.

 _"Of course I'd be a hero  
And I would scale a tower"_

Adrien came to a stop, putting an arm around her waist and pointing up at the Eiffel Tower as he went on, looking pointedly down at her.

 _"And save a hothouse flower  
And carry her away"_

She laughed at his antics, but he could tell how nervous she was, so he released her and moved away, acting as though he were fighting an invisible opponent with a sword.

 _"But standing guard there'd be a beast  
I'd somehow overwhelm it"_

He killed it with a flourish and she laughed, even as she clapped. He moved in suddenly closer again, still speaking.

 _"I'd get the girl, I'd take a breath  
And I'd remove my helmet"_

Their eyes met and he froze, for a moment lost in those beautiful blue eyes, before he managed to make his mouth form words again.

 _"We'd stand and stare  
We'd speak of love  
We'd feel the stars ascending  
We'd share a kiss  
I'd find my destiny"_

He turned away, breaking the contact, which was making his heart pound and his breath a bit short, to strike a noble pose, his invisible sword extended.

 _"I'd have a hero's ending  
A perfect happy ending  
That's how it would be"_

She was laughing again and he looked over his shoulder with a grin.

"I'm sure that's exactly how it would work, too," she said, still giggling.

He opened his mouth to reply, when he felt his phone begin to buzz in his pocket. His grin fell away as he dug it out and looked at the caller I.D.

Adrien looked up and met Marinette's happy gaze.

 _'A big bright beautiful world  
But not for me'_

"I have to take this," he said, his entire demeanor now subdued.

She nodded, her eyes now sympathetic as they registered the change in his mood.

"I-I should get back anyway. Homework to finish still."

The little baker waved with a final smile before she turned and headed off, back the way they had come.

Adrien sighed and answered his father's call.

 _A hero always hides  
A hero's fate is known  
A hero always stays  
In the dark, all alone_

"Where are you?" Gabriel Agreste's cold voice demanded. "Natalie informed me that you did not show for the interview this morning and you have not been answering her calls. That is completely unacceptable behavior, Adrien."

"I'm sorry, father," the boy replied, not letting any emotion leak into his voice. "I won't miss the reschedule and I will apologize to Natalie as soon as I get home."

"Where are you?" his father demanded again. "I'll send the car."

"I'm not far, don't bother the driver. I'll be home shortly."

"Do so, then. I expect better from you, Adrien."

The call cut off abruptly and the young man lowered the silent phone with a sigh as his gaze wandered up to the Eiffel Tower before him.

 _So yes, I'd be a hero  
And if my wish were granted  
Life would be enchanted  
Or so the stories say_

He looked to where Marinette was still visible at the edge of the crowds, making her way home, and couldn't help the little smile that tugged at his lips, despite his soured mood.

 _Of course I'd be a hero  
And I would scale a tower  
And save a hot-house flower  
And carry her away_

Adrien slipped his phone back into his pocket and began his own trek home, wondering how different his life could have been if he'd met Marinette before he'd met his lady.

 _A perfect happy ending  
That's how it should be_

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A/N: The song is "Who I'd Be" from Shrek the Musical and for anyone who knows the song, yes, I replaced "ogre" with "hero" because I mean, ::gestures helplessly:: Adrien. Come on. Lol.

Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you think. I always love hearing from you guys! Till next chapter! :)


	6. Come Dance with Me

Chapter 5: Come Dance With Me

Adrien apologized sincerely to Natalie when he got home, knowing full well she hadn't deserved to be ignored like that, especially since she probably got the raw end of the deal when she had to tell his father about the missed interview. She forgave him and made him promise not to miss the interview next weekend before she let him escape to his room. Luckily, his father hadn't made an appearance.

Despite the reprimands and knowing he'd be hearing about it when his father did make it home, Adrien found that he was actually still in a good mood. Making actual friends and talking with them about things completely unrelated to modeling was such an unusual thing that it made him almost giddy.

That evening, after Natalie thought he'd gone to bed, he snuck out for patrol. It was a pretty night, mostly cloudless, and the stars were as bright as the moon, which shone down like a spotlight on the City of Lights.

What a beautiful night to meet his lady. The thought made him smile as he vaulted between rooftops, going over his usual route before he could meet her at the Eiffel Tower, as was their custom.

Chat saw that there was a swing band performing under the Tower's shadow as he drew near, and it made him grin. His lady was already there, listening with a little smile on her face as he dropped down next to her.

She was breathtaking in the moonlight, or any light for that matter, and turned her happy little smile to her partner as he sat down.

"Hey, Chat."

"Good evening, my lady," he said, matching her grin. "You're looking purrrfecty lovely tonight."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but didn't have an immediate comeback like she usually did. She didn't seem upset, but thoughtful, her mind elsewhere. Chat leaned in close to her as she turned away again.

"Something on my lady's mind?" he purred in her ear.

She pushed his face away without looking at him.

"Just pondering my day, kitty."

"Something interesting happen?"

She hummed thoughtfully.

"I suppose you could say that."

Ever eager to catch whatever little glimpses he could of her life outside of the suit, Chat decided to try and nudge a bit more information out of the girl.

"So, what happened?"

She looked over at him frankly for a long moment before her smile faded into a small frown. Ladybug shook her head.

"No, nevermind. It's nothing."

Disappointed, Chat sat back with a slight frown of his own. Ladybug's gaze had wandered down to the band again and, as the song changed, Chat realized he knew this one very well. His grin turned mischievous as he got to his feet and held out a hand to Ladybug as he began to sing along.

 _"Hey there, cutes  
_ _Put on your dancing boots  
_ _And come dance with me!"_

She looked up at him, startled out of her thoughts.

"W-what? Dance?"

He spun and grabbed up her hand, pulling her to her feet with a flourish.

 _"Come dance with me,  
_ _What an evening for  
_ _Some Terpsichore!"_

"Ch-Chat, I'm really not very good at dancing!" she protested as he pulled her in close and then spun her back out.

Despite her objections, she was light on her feet, and his grin widened.

 _"Pretty face,  
_ _I know a swinging place  
_ _Come on, dance with me!"_

Pulling her back to him, he lead her through the steps he knew by heart since that summer his father had insisted that he take dance lessons for the betterment of his posture and posing. Who would have thought it would pay off like this?

 _"Romance with me on a crowded floor!"_

That made her laugh.

"Who'd have thought my kitty could dance?" she quipped, still smiling.

"I am a chat of many and varied tailents," he responded with a wink as he spun her under his arm. "For someone who claims she isn't good at dancing, you seem to be a pawsitive natural at this."

She rolled her eyes at the puns, but her smile didn't waver.

 _"And while the rhythm swings,  
_ _What lovely things we'll be saying!"_

He could have spent the rest of his life like this, he decided. So long as he had his lady in his arms, nothing else mattered. Chat pulled her in close again, doing some fancy footwork that made Ladybug snort.

"Showoff."

"Fur you, of course."

That got a full blown laugh out of her.

 _"And what is dancing but making love,  
_ _Set the music playing."_

"Chat!"

He laughed.

"I'm pawsitive those are the words, my lady!"

She punched him lightly in the arm, making him laugh again.

 _"When the band  
_ _Begins to leave the stand  
_ _And folks start to roam  
_ _As we wing home,  
_ _Cheek to cheek we'll be"_

He pulled her in again so that they were literally dancing cheek-to-cheek and led her through a few spins. Mostly, it was an excuse to hold her closer, and so long as she kept allowing, he would.

For some reason, at that moment, Marinette popped into his mind. That moment this afternoon when he'd picked her up and spun her replayed for him and he mentally tried to shake it off. What was wrong with him? The love of his life was in his arms, dancing with him, and he was thinking about another girl?

Idiot!

 _"So come on, come on, come on  
_ _Come on and dance with me!"_

Chat spun her out and then back under his arm.

 _"Hey there, sweets,  
_ _Throw on those Latin cleats  
_ _And come dance with me!"_

She broke away with a laugh and Chat continued to dance like she was still in his arms.

 _"What I mean is come on and my  
_ _Let's cha-cha-cha!"_

He shook his hips, winking at her as she laughed.

"You're in an unusually good mood tonight," she commented as he spun away on his own.

Chat looked back over his shoulder at her with a quizzical smile.

"What do you mean, my lady? I'm always in a good mood with your adorapawl self around."

 _"And leave your sweat  
_ _And do the bongo bit  
_ _Come on, dance with me!"_

She shook her head.

"No, you always smile, but tonight you're genuinely happy. Something good happened today, didn't it?"

He shrugged as he continued his solo dance. He hadn't realized he'd been that obvious.

"I guess it did."

Chat paused and held out a hand to her again with a grin.

 _"Romance with me  
_ _Ooh, la, la, la, la"_

Ladybug shook her head, even as she reached for the offered fingers and he guided her back into the dance again. She loved seeing him this happy. In fact, she wasn't sure she'd ever seen him quite this happy in the whole of their partnership. It made her wonder what exactly had gone on in his civilian life today, but she wouldn't ask. She was just happy to see him so happy for once.

Chat was still singing in her ear as he led her through a dance she never would have tried if he hadn't looked so happy and eager tonight.

 _"I don't care what it has,  
_ _'Cause that jambo jazz makes me move it!  
_ _And we charade when the band starts to groove it,  
_ _They groove it!"_

She kept worrying that one of these spins she would trip up and go flying right off the side of the Eiffel Tower, but Chat was too good of a dancer to let his partner slip and she kept gliding along gracefully in his arms.

 _"Come on by,  
_ _'Cause we're all set to fly  
_ _And I'll let you lead  
_ _If that's agreed,  
_ _You know where I'll be!"_

He brought her in close again, making her grin. She liked this happier Chat. Whatever had brought this about, she hoped it kept happening.

 _"Come on, come on, come on  
_ _Come on, come on, come on  
_ _Come on, come on, come on  
_ _Come and dance with me!"_

He did the hip shake again and she tried to follow, but laughed too much at her own horrible attempts.

 _"I'll do the cha-cha-cha  
_ _Ooh, the merengue"_

He was laughing too, pulling her in and putting his cheek next to hers.

 _"We'll grow the tango"_

She turned her head and found their faces were inches apart now. Chat leaned in ever so slightly as he sang the last line.

 _"Come on and dance with me!"_

She ducked her head and Chat suppressed a sigh. So close, yet so far. He righted them and released her gently so that she didn't stumble, but kept ahold of her hand as the last notes of the song hung in the air.

"Goodnight, my lady," he said softly, kissing the back of her hand.

Then he extended his baton and was off into the night. Why was it, when he'd been holding Ladybug, the girl he'd been in love with for nearly two years now, it was Marinette's face he saw? He felt a bit guilty at that, even though Ladybug had never once expressed interest in him romantically outside of a few flirtatious quips here and there. He felt suddenly torn and uneasy.

It was a long time before he made it home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: This was seriously one of my favorite chapters to write. :) The song is "Come Dance with Me" by Michael Buble.

Till next chapter!


	7. Kaleidoscope

Chapter 6: Kaleidoscope

Monday, Marinette woke, fully expecting that her crush on Adrien Agreste would have diminished a bit. She had convinced herself that it was a temporary state of being and that a good night's sleep would set her brain to rights. After all, she had been extremely sleep deprived the previous day. Obviously, she never would have reacted so strongly otherwise, right?

Unfortunately, she was destined to be disappointed when she pulled up his picture on her computer and felt her heart pick up it's pace. Her brain may or may not have been convinced that the crush was temporary, but that shouldn't have been the organ she was worrying about. She groaned and slammed her head down on her keyboard painfully. Tikki winced as her chosen sat back up with a yelp, nursing her forehead.

"Oh, Marinette," the kwami sighed, shaking her head.

"Tikki," she whined. "It's just a crush! It's supposed to go away! Why isn't it?"

The little red kwami gave her chosen that knowing look again and Marinette scowled.

"No. No, Tikki. I can't be in love with him!"

Tikki huffed and crossed her arms.

"Why not?"

Marinette's hands began churring the air as she stood and paced her room.

"Because! Because he's… he's… he's, him!"

She paused long enough to gesture at the computer screen before she picked up her pacing and arm flailing again.

"Because he's sweet and understanding and gorgeous and has that heart-melting laugh and that little lopsided grin that's too adorable for his own good and he makes me stutter and act like a complete moron and say stupid things and run away in a panic and… and… and!"

She turned on her kwami, gaze desperate.

"And he's way out of my league, Tikki!"

"No he's not, Marinette!" the kwami insisted, but her chosen was too deep into her rant to listen.

"I mean, he's this famous model who could have any girl in France! There's no way he'd ever want some stupid, stuttering, wanna-be baker, he barely even knows! I could never compete with the girls he works with! They're models! I'm miles out of his league! I'm lucky to be able to see his league!"

"Marinette!"

The bluenette pulled up short as her kwami flew right into her face. Tikki had her hands on her hips and was looking at the little baker sternly.

"Now you listen to me. I have been around thousands of years and I have never had a Ladybug who wasn't talented and kind and caring and smart, and you are no exception to that, Marinette. You never give yourself enough credit."

She lost the stern expression, seeing that she'd gotten Marinette off the self-pity train, and flew forward to nuzzle at the bluenette's cheek.

"Thanks, Tikki," the little baker said softly.

Then she sighed.

"I still don't want to be in love though."

Tikki giggled.

"Oh, Marinette."

Tuesday was no different than Monday had been on the crush front, but Marinette tried to stay hopeful that it would fade by later in the week. Nino had made plans for that afternoon to meet Adrien at the arcade the DJ loved and invited Marinette along to kick their butts at Sole Survivor III. She declined, saying she had been planning on trying something new with macaroons as soon as her father let her have the kitchen. Alya gave her an odd look, but didn't comment.

Wednesday was no better than it's predecessors and Thursday was even worse when she found herself seriously contemplating buying a magazine because he was on the cover. She could have kicked herself and felt her hopes that this stupid crush would go away on it's own quickly diminishing.

Friday, she gave up and finally admitted, to no one but herself for now, that she might actually be in love with Adrien Agreste, but she wasn't about to tell anyone else until she could come to better terms with it. She still didn't want to be in love, wasting all her time on a boy, but apparently she and her heart were going to be on disagreeable terms for a while.

Stupid hormones.

"Hey, dudes," Nino said, turning around in his seat as they were dismissed for lunch break. "Wanna hit up the arcade with me and Adrien later? He says he has a photoshoot, but he can meet us after."

"Sounds like fun," Alya said. "You in, Marinette?"

The bluenette nodded and Nino grinned.

"Awesome! I think he might actually beat you at a few games. He's pretty good."

The baker smirked.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

When school let out for the day, the trio walked to the main entrance. Nino pulled up short as a text from Adrien came through.

"Guess we're going to a photoshoot," he announced as he sent a reply.

Marinette tried to put a lid on the sudden case of nerves that pounced on her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Adrien says they're running behind schedule so I figure we may as well head over there first."

Alya shrugged and linked an arm through Marinette's.

"Works for me. Let's go."

They could hear the screaming from a block away and at first Marinette was afraid it was an akuma attack. She started trying to think of ways to ditch Alya and Nino as they turned the corner and saw that no, it wasn't an akuma. It was an angry female model, yelling at another girl, who had a coffee cup in each hand and a downcast expression.

What the heck?

Adrien was standing off to the side, looking at the sky like he wished he was anywhere else right then, the photographer stood with his arms crossed, and several other people who were obviously tied to the shoot stood around with varying degrees of annoyance, anger, and pity on their faces.

Nino gave a little wave to get Adrien's attention and the blonde grinned, jogging over to them and away from the disturbance.

"Dude, what's that about?"

The model rolled his eyes.

"She was brought the wrong kind of tea."

"Tell me you're joking," Alya said, eyes wide.

"I wish I was," Adrien said with a sigh. "I may not be able to come at all at this rate."

"Man, that sucks!" Nino said. "And I had Marinette convinced to come and try and beat you at Sole Survivor III."

That green gaze turned on her and the little baker felt herself flush as he gave her an apologetic smile. Dang it! It wasn't fair! Why did he have to be that handsome? It should be illegal.

"I'm sorry I have to miss it," he told her.

"Y-yeah, m-me too," she managed.

There was a screech from the direction of the female model and they all turned to look as she stormed off, the girl with the cups in her wake, and the photographer turning his back to the whole thing.

"Hang on, guys," Adrien said before he jogged back over to see what had happened.

They watched as he spoke briefly with the photographer, who then looked over at them and stared thoughtfully for a moment. He said something to Adrien, who shrugged slightly, before marching over towards the trio as the model followed him.

"What are your sizes?" the photographer asked, pointing at Marinette.

The bluenette was so startled that she actually pointed at herself.

"M-me?"

"Yes, you, sizes?"

She told him and he grinned.

"Perfect-o! You're going to be a model today. Makeup!" he called over his shoulder and three women came towards her, one pulling out mascara and lip gloss, one wielding a tape measure and a pair of scissors, and one brandishing a comb and brush.

"W-what?"

Marinette looked from Alya and Nino to Adrien with panic in her eyes. Had she just been forcibly volunteered to replace the screaming girl? The blonde put an arm around her shoulders, making her freeze where she was.

"It's okay," he said gently. "You don't have to, if you don't want to, but I'd enjoy your company."

The proximity was making her beet red and words refused to leave her, so all she could do was nod dumbly. Adrien grinned and released her as she was surrounded and dragged away to change.

When Marinette reappeared, Adrien found that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was even more lovely than usual. Her hair had been let down and left free with only a couple of bobby-pins to keep it out of her face and her already pretty features had been enhanced by the makeup artist. Since they were supposed to be modeling a spring collection, she had been put in a backless, sea-foam green dress and a pair of white heels for the first round.

Marinette looked beautiful, but also nervous and completely uncomfortable. Seeing this, Adrien jogged to her side and gave her a smile, which sent a blush across her cheeks.

"You don't look very sure about this."

She swallowed hard.

"W-well, I-I'm not," she admitted shakily. "I n-never w-wear heels and dresses aren't r-really my thing."

"Nope," he agreed with a grin. "Your thing is jeans and a t-shirt while you bake, but if it'll make you feel better, I'll promise to let you teach me to bake if you'll let me teach you to model."

He winked roguishly and took more pleasure than he should have in her deepened blush and wide eyes. She seemed at a loss for words for a long moment before she managed a nod.

"O-okay."

Adrien took her hand and led her to the photographer, who directed them where to stand. The blonde still held the little baker's hand and he gave it a squeeze as he slipped his other hand to her waist so that they faced each other.

"Just breath, Marinette," he told her in a low voice. "Follow my lead. And try to smile."

She gave him a nervous smile that made him laugh, which made her giggle nervously in turn. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

"You look beautiful by the way. The dress suits you."

She grinned and blushed prettily.

"T-thanks."

 _My life  
My life was black and white and I believed it  
I believed it_

"Dance with me?" he asked.

Her eyes went wide.

"I-I don't dance."

"Sure you do," he said. "Every time you're baking you dance. Just pretend. That's half the battle of modeling."

 _My eyes  
My eyes looked at the world but couldn't see it  
I couldn't see it_

"B-but… heels…"

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

She swallowed hard and nodded, so he gently spun her out, keeping hold of her hand. Her skirts spun around her and she looked back at him with a grin he couldn't help but match.

 _You're like the thing that makes the universe explode  
Into the colors of a world I've never known  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around_

He could hear the camera clicking away and, having worked with this photographer a lot over the years, knew the man would let him explore with what he felt like doing, unless he just wasn't giving them the shots they needed.

"So," he asked the little baker casually as he brought her back in and held her so that he stood behind and a little to the side of her. "You still think I'd make a terrible Viking?"

That startled a laugh out of her. He liked hearing that sound and his grin widened.

 _Violets and purples  
Diamonds and circles  
You're my kaleidoscope_

"Y-you would make a horrible Viking," she confirmed, looking sideways at him.

"Ah, too bad," he said with a dramatic sigh. "And here I was, really getting used to the idea."

He sat on the short wall behind them and pulled her down into his lap as he did, earning himself a squeak of surprise and a shocked face. He grinned up at her and she blushed again

 _I love every minute  
You've got me in it  
You're my kaleidoscope_

She wrinkled her nose at him playfully and he returned the face, making her snort a laugh. Then she stood and pulled him up after her.

"I-I thought we were dancing," she said. "Tired already?"

In reply, he picked her up by the waist and spun her, getting a small shriek of laughter from the girl.

In the background, the camera kept clicking away.

 _Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around  
Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around_

As they took a break to change, Adrien found he couldn't stop smiling. He was having more fun that he ever had at a photoshoot before. He shook his head as he slipped on the next t-shirt. That girl really was something.

 _Tonight  
The stars are in your eyes and I surrender  
I surrender_

Her next outfit was much more her, he thought; blue shorts and a sleeveless, flowing pink top with some sort of abstract design. Then he noticed they'd put her in wedges. Poor girl. Those weren't much better than heels.

Adrien held out a hand to her and she took it.

 _Tonight  
Our hands against the wind, we are forever  
We are forever_

She stumbled a bit and he caught her, turning it into a low dip, as though they were still dancing. Big blue eyes stared back up at him, surprised, and his smile softened. Gently, he righted them both and found that she was pressed entirely up against him, and he was entirely caught in that lovely gaze.

 _It all looks better when I see it with you here  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around_

Adrien was brought back to himself when the photographer cleared his throat. The blonde glanced over and caught the raised eyebrow. He smiled sheepishly and pulled away from the little baker so that he was only holding her hand now. It surprised him how natural that felt.

 _Violets and purples  
Diamonds and circles  
You're my kaleidoscope_

Marinette's heart was racing in her chest, but she did her best to play along with whatever poses Adrien thought up for them. She had no idea what she was doing and felt like a newborn fawn, all tumbling, shaky limbs, but no one was complaining, even Adrien, so she kept at it.

 _I love every minute  
You've got me in it  
You're my kaleidoscope_

She caught sight of Alya and Nino watching patiently from outside the circle of professionals. The former gave her a wink and a thumbs up, to which she rolled her eyes, even as she blushed.

 _Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around  
Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around_

The third outfit was the one she was most comfortable in, Marinette decided. It was a yellow and white polka-dotted jumper with a pink undershirt and white flats. Thank heavens! Another pair of heels and even her luck might have run out. Each of the previous pairs of shoes had given her visions of twisted ankles and hospital trips. These she was almost positive wouldn't make her injure herself.

 _I closed my eyes to the orange skies  
Living all of my days the same  
Then you came along, and you sang your song  
And the whole world around me changed_

The photographer pointed them to a swing set for the last group of photos and Adrien had her sit as he did most of the work. He pushed her on the swing a bit and posed around her so that she hardly had to do anything at all.

 _Violets and purples  
Diamonds and circles  
You're my kaleidoscope_

Adrien took the swing next to her as the photographer changed angles and began swinging himself as he looked over at her and winked. She blushed and giggled, swinging herself gently in an opposite rhythm than he had picked up.

 _I love every minute  
You've got me in it  
You're my kaleidoscope_

When the photographer waved them on, Marinette stood so that she was leaning between the chains of the swing and Adrien slipped in behind her, leaning out to one side as she looked back at him with a grin.

 _Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around  
Hey la nah nah oh  
You keep turning, keep turning my life around_

Then he moved around to her side, slipping an arm around her waist to pull her close. He leaned down towards her then, as she looked up at him, and their noses bumped, making them both laugh.

 _You're my kaleidoscope  
You're my kaleidoscope_

Then, someone screamed.

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A/N: I'm half tempted to only put this chapter up tonight since I meant this one as a bit of a cliffhanger originally, buuuut I have time so I'll probably put the next one up too. Lol. I definitely remember the agonies I went thorugh to find a good song for this chapter.

This song is "Kaleidoscope" by A Great Big World. It's a catchy little tune and I definitely recommend a listen.

Don't forget to drop me a review. I love hearing from you guys! Till next chapter! :)


	8. She's a Lady

Chapter 7: She's a Lady

Five months was a long time.

People could forget, given that much time without a threat. People could begin to think to themselves that maybe, just maybe, there was no more threat. Maybe there was nothing to fear any longer.

People are fools.

If anyone else had ever witnessed his powers being put into play, they would have known the scene. They would have recognized the dark room, lit only by the light from the large, circular window before him, and the sight of the white butterflies swarming would have been as familiar as the back of their own hand.

They would know how the scene would unfold. He would hold out his hand and summon one of the butterflies to him. He would cover the little insect with his other hand and his dark power would flow into the tiny creature.

What the observer would have noted, then, was a slight change. It was a small thing which would have gone unnoticed by anyone who hadn't seen the power play out two dozen times already. It was all about timing. The observer would have realized that he pressed power into the butterfly for a full four seconds beyond what he had every other time.

Then, he finally released it and the little butterfly, trailing dark spots of power, flitted it's way out the center of the giant window. Those dark spots were new, too.

He didn't expect this akuma to be any more successful than any of the others. He had longer reaching goals in mind this time.

The little butterfly found it's target, a girl upset about her boss's injustices or some such twaddle, and he offered her power to right the wrongs done to her over the years. She accepted and he dubbed her Super Assistant. It was rather lacking compared to the other names he'd given his previous tools, but it would suffice.

Now to see how his experiment would go…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Of all the times Hawkmoth could attack, Adrien grumped to himself, of course the man would choose to interrupt now. How was he going to make sure Marinette was safe and still get away to be Chat Noir?

On the other hand, Adrien almost could have thanked the villain for his impeccable timing. He couldn't believe he'd almost kissed Marinette, or at least been sorely tempted to. Another thirty seconds and who knew what he would have done. He was in love with Ladybug! What the hell had gotten into him?

As the akuma victim rounded the corner, the blonde grabbed the little baker's hand.

"Run!"

They took off, side-by-side, following on Alya and Nino's heels as their friends took off as well. All four of them joined the rush of people fleeing the area as Marinette and Adrien schemed how to let go of the other's hand while seeming natural. A particularly panicked man helped them out by rushing between them and breaking the hold. As the two kept running forward, they also let themselves drift further and further away from each other, while still shooting glances at the other to make sure they were still headed to safety.

Adrien broke out of the crowd first and ducked behind a building.

"Plagg, transform me!"

Chat Noir shot himself skyward and landed running on top of the building. He paused at the edge to look over the area and spotted Marinette, still running with the crowd. Then he saw her slip and disappear for a moment in the stampede. It wasn't until she reappeared a moment later, looking annoyed but no worse for wear, that he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Before he knew what he was doing, Chat Noir had vaulted down, scooped up the little baker, who was almost as surprised as Chat was, and took off towards the rooftops again. He didn't stop until he was out of sight of the akuma. Then he set Marinette down gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Chat Noir?" she said, sounding breathless and looking at him wide-eyed.

He grinned cheekily and gave her a sweeping bow.

"At your service, purrrincess."

He straightened and took a closer look at her. She didn't look as though she'd been hurt, but he felt the need to make sure.

"Are you alright?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but the akuma…"

She trailed off and looked back the way they had come. Chat was already inching toward the edge of the roof again.

"Yeah, I'd better get back to it. Stay safe, purrrincess."

He gave her a wink and a two-finger salute before leaping off the side of the building as he extended his baton. Marinette put her hands on her hips as she watched him. Tikki flitted out of her jacket.

"What the heck has gotten into him?" the bluenette wondered, looking at her kwami.

"Beats me," said Tikki with a shrug.

Marinette shook her head.

"Nevermind. Not important right now. Tikki, spots on!"

 _Well, she's all you'd ever want  
She's the kind I'd like to flaunt and take to dinner_

Ladybug reached the scene of the chaos and stopped to get her bearings. The akuma victim wore a business suit, four inch heels, and her now-purple hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She was also floating in the air and sending attacks at Chat.

People who had been caught in the attacks were either swept away in a sea of coffee or wrapped up like mummies in sticky notes. Chat was dodging a rain of sticky notes, but was about to get caught between them and another wave of coffee coming from the opposite direction.

Apparently this akuma could use more than one attack at a time. That was worrying.

 _But she always knows her place  
She's got style, she's got grace  
She's a winner_

Ladybug tossed her yo-yo, wrapping it around Chat's ankle as he did a backflip, and pulled as she jumped to the ground. He came flying toward her and she caught him bridal style just before she landed. He did a double-take when he found himself looking up at Ladybug all of a sudden, a bit confused by the sequence of events, but grinned roguishly a moment later.

"Ah, the highlighter of my life has arrived!"

Ladybug winced.

"Chat, that was terrible."

"Hey!" he said defensively. "Office puns are hard!"

Ladybug rolled her eyes and dropped him. Chat, having expected as much, bounced right back up with his usual grin, but guilt was clawing at his insides. Sure, he wasn't actually in a romantic relationship with her, but he was still in love with Ladybug and it felt like he'd cheated on her with Marinette. Neither girl deserved that.

He felt like such a creep.

 _She's a lady  
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady  
Talkin' about that little lady  
And the lady is mine_

"Any idea what the item is?"

Chat shook his head.

"Haven't been able to spot anything yet."

"Go left, I'll go right," Ladybug said, readying her yo-yo. "See if we can't pin her down."

Chat grinned and looked at the flying woman who was coming towards them.

"Looks like someone hasn't had their coffee yet!" he called to her.

She screamed and sent a wave of the stuff at them.

"Oops," Chat said as the superheroes leapt in opposite directions and ran. "Can't stay stationary around her, can we?"

He heard his lady groan, which made him chuckle as he extended his baton and went for a frontal assalt.

 _Well she's never in the way  
Always something nice to say, and what a blessin'  
I can leave her on her own  
Knowin' she's okay alone and there's no messin'_

As they leapt and dodged between and around the akuma's attacks, Ladybug began to feel uneasy. All they were doing was dodging. They weren't getting anywhere near the woman and she still had no idea what the akumitized item was.

"Maybe it's her bracelet?" Chat panted as they ran across the rooftops of Paris with the woman flying on their heels.

"Worth a shot," his lady replied, just as breathlessly. "Lucky charm!"

A weighted net dropped into her hands.

"Chat!"

"On it!"

He vaulted off calling to the woman.

"I can't espresso how much I dislike the notes you've been leaving me!"

 _She's a lady  
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady  
Talkin' about that little lady  
And the lady is mine_

Ladybug rolled the net up onto one arm to keep it from tripping her as she pulled up short and looked around.

Flagpole, Chat's baton… at the right angle it could work.

"Chat!" she called to her partner.

He glanced over at her just long enough to see where she was pointing, and nod, before jumping and rolling out of the way of a stream of coffee.

 _Well, she never asks very much  
And I don't refuse her  
Always treat her with respect  
I never would abuse her_

As he came up, he threw his baton, lodging it exactly where his lady had pointed, though his gaze was already back on his opponent. Sticky notes flew at him and he threw himself to the side, but he wasn't fast enough and some of them caught his foot. The appendage turned into a useless lead weight immediately.

Chat yelped and fell, his foot dragging behind him. The akuma laughed as he rolled over to face her and she loomed, summoning another wave of coffee.

 _What she's got is hard to find  
And I don't want to lose her  
Well, she knows what I'm about  
She can take what I dish out, and that's not easy_

Ladybug swooped down and scooped her partner out of harm's way just before the dark liquid reached him.

"Whew," Chat breathed in her ear. "Thanks. And by the way, that coffee may be hot, but you're still hotter."

"Don't make me drop you again," she threatened mildly.

"I've already fallen for you, my lady. You can't drop me any further than that."

"Wanna test that theory?" she replied, letting go.

He yelped, but realized a moment later that she'd aimed it perfectly so that he'd gone flying into the net, which she'd strung up between a flagpole and his baton.

And the akuma was zooming after him in a fury.

 _But she knows me through and through  
And she knows just what to do and how to please me  
She's a lady  
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady_

Chat caught the bottom of the net and dangled for a moment as he watched the akuma pull up just short of crashing into it. Then Ladybug's yo-you hit her from behind, the akuma flew forward, and Chat was already climbing towards his baton. As the akuma hit the net, he tugged his weapon free and threw that side of the net towards the other trussed up end. The whole thing dislodged and the akuma tumbled to the ground.

Ladybug pounced, snatching the bracelet off the akuma's wrist, but frowned as she tried to break it. Nothing happened. Chat frowned as well and dropped down beside her.

"My lady?"

"I think I can still break it, but… it's gonna be harder than usual. Hang on."

She dropped the bracelet to the ground and jumped on it with both feet, managing a small crack in one of the beads, but that was enough. Both superheroes were frowning as Ladybug purified the akuma and released what Chat liked to think of as her 'clean-up spell'.

 _Talkin' about that little lady  
And the lady is mine  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady  
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady_

Instead of a fist bump, both Chat and Bug looked at each other, obviously concerned.

"What was that?" Chat finally asked.

Ladybug shook her head.

"I don't know, but it was resisting being broken, and she was a lot harder to pin down than usual, wasn't she?"

Chat nodded, frown deepening slightly.

"So it wasn't just me. There was definitely something off about that akuma, wasn't there?"

Ladybug nodded.

"I thought so, too."

 _Listen to me people, she's a lady  
Yeah yeah yeah yeah she's a lady  
Whoa whoa whoa she's a lady  
Talkin' about the little lady_

Reporters were closing in and Ladybug's earrings began to beep, so Chat wiped the frown off his face and winked at his partner.

"I'm definitely going to have to start watching my coffee intake, cause you make my heart palpitate, bugaboo."

She rolled her eyes with a groan, making him grin.

"Really, Chat? More coffee puns?"

"Would you prefer, you're the ruler of my heart?"

She sighed, shaking her head as she put her hands on her hips.

"Incorrigible. That's what you are."

"Always."

He caught her hand and kissed the back of it before she could pull away, but as she bugged out she was shaking her head and suppressing a smile. Chat watched her with a satisfied grin on his own face.

He loved making her smile.

 _She's a lady  
Yeah yeah yeah she's a lady  
Whoa whoa lord, she's a lady  
I can't live without that  
She's a lady  
Ooh ooh she's a lady_

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A/N: The song is "She's a Lady" by Tom Jones. It's a classic that everyone should listen to at least once in their lives. :)

Till next chapter! :)


	9. On Fire

Chapter 8: On Fire

By seven o'clock the next morning, Adrien was sipping his coffee in silence and wishing he could go for a day patrol as Natalie rattled off his schedule.

"Your fencing lessons have been moved to ten o'clock this morning. You have a lunch interview at noon, which should give you enough time to shower and change beforehand. Then your father has requested your presence at the studio for the afternoon as soon as the interview is finished. This evening he has scheduled two hours of language studies with a focus on Italian."

 _They tell you where you need to go  
They tell you when you'll need to leave_

Adrien frowned at his coffee and looked up.

"Study on the weekend? And Italian of all things? Why?"

Natalie lowered her screen and met the model's quizzical gaze.

"He has a contract in the works with a company out of Italy and they will be visiting with us in two weeks. He wants you prepared."

The blonde looked back down at his coffee cup, suppressing the anger he wished he could give voice to. It wasn't Natalie's fault she was the bearer of bad news and he wasn't about to lash out at her for it.

"Visitors" meant that he'd be trotted out like a prize dog to do tricks and impress, then shuffled away again as soon as he was no longer convenient to have around. After so many years of the same thing, he couldn't even bring himself to be happy that it meant he'd actually get to see his father for a while.

"Adrien?"

The boy sighed heavily and nodded.

"I understand."

 _They tell you what you need to know  
They tell you who you need to be_

"I would have thought you would be more excited about having visitors," came a masculine voice from the doorway.

Adrien's head shot up and he whirled in his seat. Gabriel Agreste stood there, in all his fashionable glory, eyeing his son.

"Father," Adrien greeted, trying his best to suppress all the emotions the man's appearance always brought with him. "I'm sorry. Is there something that makes them different from all the others?"

Gabriel shot Natalie a look as if to say 'you didn't tell him?', and his assistant quickly lowered her gaze back down to the screen in her hand. The fashion icon looked back to his son.

"Their CEO will be bringing his daughter along. She's your age and I will be expecting you to play host for her. Take her around the city and show her a good time. Keep her entertained and get to know her. If things go well, she will be running her father's company in the future, just as you will be running mine and it is always better to have good, long-standing relationships with such people."

Adrien could only nod.

"Yes, father."

 _But everything inside you knows  
There's more than what you've heard  
There's so much more than empty conversations  
Filled with empty words_

Should he bring up the subject that had been hanging between them for months? Did he dare start another battle about it and break this temporary peace between them? His father hadn't brought it up since Sunday, so should he? Should he tell him that his mind was still set?

The decision was taken out of his hands before he could make a choice as Natalie's screen beeped at her.

"Sir? The conference call is going to start in ten minutes."

"Thank you, Natalie."

No, not today, the boy decided sadly. Not when he would have to call his father back while the man was on a timetable for work. He'd never win that way. It would have been starting a battle with the sword already at his throat.

Adrien sighed and downed the rest of his coffee.

 _And you're on fire when he's near you  
You're on fire when he speaks  
You're on fire  
Burning at these mysteries_

He pulled out his cell as he stood and texted Nino. Fencing would help him clear his head, but he wanted to see at least one friendly face this morning. It surprised him how much his three new friends had come to mean to him in such a short amount of time.

A little smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He had friends. It was still such a strange thing to think about.

His phone beeped and he looked at it.

'Sorry man, great-aunt's in town. At breakfast with the fam. Later?'

Adrien felt his smile slip away. So much for that plan. He responded that his day was booked, but maybe tomorrow. Of course, Nino wasn't the only one he could go see, he realized, but as he brought up Marinette in his contacts, he hesitated.

With how he'd been acting yesterday, did he dare? He didn't want to let himself fall for the little baker when he was already in love with Ladybug. He had a feeling the more one-on-one time he spent with Marinette, the greater the chances would be that he'd end up in love with two girls and that was the last situation he needed to add to his plate.

 _Give me one more time around  
Give me one more chance to see  
Give me everything you are  
Give me one more chance to be near you_

Adrien sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. No. Maybe it was just better if he only hung out with her in a group setting for now. Maybe once they were better friends, he'd be in less danger of falling. At least, he hoped that's how it would go.

He spent his extra time brushing up on a few older video games he hadn't played in a while, hoping next time he got the chance to challenge Marinette, he'd have the advantage.

Then, his day flew. Fencing let him work off some of his worries over Marinette and the problematic akuma he and Ladybug had faced yesterday. The interview, for some teen fashion magazine he forgot the name of as soon as lunch was over, went smoothly, but then he had to face his father and five hours of following the man around the studio as he critiqued the upcoming spring and summer lines while making his son participate. Adrien had also been forced to model several of the items and try his hand, yet again, at coming up with his own designs.

It was a very long day.

By the time he made it home, the last thing he wanted to do was study a language to try and impress a girl he didn't even know for future good relations in an industry he didn't even want to be in. So, he asked Natalie if he could do some self-study instead of the usual classroom structure she usually did for him. It took a bit of convincing and a stern warning that he had better actually study and not play video games, but in the end she agreed.

He hadn't been planing on playing video games anyway. What he needed was a good freedom run.

Adrien attempted to study for about an hour as Plagg munched away on a tray of camembert and proceeded to take a nap, but nothing was sinking in. Finally, he closed the book with more force than he meant to and the little kwami opened one eye.

"Are you done?" he asked. "Can I have more camembert?"

The boy rolled his eyes.

"You've had plenty. I think it's time to work some of it off."

Plagg sighed, but floated up and across the room to his chosen as the blonde stood.

"Claws out!"

 _Cause everything inside me looks like  
Everything I hate  
You are the hope I have for change  
You are the only chance I'll take_

Ladybug didn't patrol every night like he did, and usually not on Saturdays, but that didn't mean he didn't hope every night that she might show up.

The sky had been overcast all day and the clouds were growing darker now, threatening rain. He ran his usual patrol and headed for the Eiffel Tower, but Ladybug never showed.

Then it began to rain.

 _When I'm on fire  
When you're near me  
I'm on fire  
When you speak_

He didn't want to go home. He never did, but tonight the urge was stronger than usual and it was still early. Instead, he circled his patrol route again, his sopping hair falling into his eyes by the end of it.

And he still didn't want to go home.

 _And I'm on fire  
Burning at these mysteries  
These mysteries_

Chat slipped down between two buildings and sat heavily, leaning his back against the wall in a spot he thought no one would see him in. There were so few people out anyway, and all of those were hurrying home.

Home.

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and leaning his head back so that the rain fell on his face. He should go home. He knew he should.

Except… Except he hadn't realized how badly he'd wanted to see his lady tonight. Even though he knew she probably wouldn't show, for some reason, it hit him harder this time. Maybe it was the rain or his long day or not seeing any of his friends or the akuma or…

Or maybe it was because he was beginning to feel things for Marinette and he'd wanted to see his lady to reassure himself. He knew he loved her, that wasn't a question. He'd wanted assurance that she was still here and real, even though that was completely stupid.

 _I'm standing on the edge of me  
I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been before  
And I've been standing on the edge of me  
Standing on the edge_

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed through the sky, cracking as it went. The rain began coming down harder.

He should go home, but he couldn't will himself to move as his mind turned unpleasantly to the conversation he was going to have to face with his father soon.

Everything was quiet now, except for the rain, hitting the pavement and making puddles and the thunder rumbling above. All the sounds of people passing had faded. Everyone must be home now.

Except him.

Then he could hear one lone set of feet, walking sedately through the storm, even as the lightning crashed overhead. The feet paused.

 _And I'm on fire  
When you're near me  
I'm on fire  
When you speak  
Yea, I'm on fire  
Burning at these mysteries_

"Chat? Chat Noir?"

His eyes popped open as his head whipped around. There stood Marintte Dupain-Cheng, big blue eyes full of concern.

 _These mysteries  
These mysteries  
Ah you're the mystery  
You're the mystery_

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A/N: Sorry I didn't get a chance to update yesterday. My weekend suddenly got booked, but I'll do my best!

The song is "On Fire" by Switchfoot. Let me know what you think!

Till next chapter!


	10. I Am A Tragedy

Chapter 9: I Am a Tragedy

Marinette adored rainy days. When she was younger, she would slip away from her parents to run around outside without a coat or umbrella, which she was promptly punished for as soon as they caught her, but that had never stopped her.

When she'd seen the storms rolling in tonight, she couldn't resist going for a walk. Being a bit older now, she had taken an umbrella and slipped rain boots on over her tennis shoes so that she wouldn't track water into the house when she came back, but that didn't stop her from splashing through all the puddles she came across, and a few she had to cross the street for.

Now the rain was in full force and there was no one outside but her. It made her grin.

A burst of lightning lit up the street for a moment and she thought she saw someone sitting in the alley. That pulled her up short with a frown. No one should be just sitting out in this downpour. They'd get sick! Even she knew that.

She crept closer and realized as another flash of lightning lit up his face that it was Chat Noir.

"Chat?" she asked, shocked that he would be out here now. "Chat Noir?"

 _Here's a dilemma  
I set on this course I can't escape_

Surely, he had a home. Why wasn't he there? With storms this bad there was no reason for him to be out patrolling and he certainly wasn't taking in a stroll like she was.

His eyes shot open and his head whipped around to look at her, clearly startled at being addressed. Maybe he thought no one was out or that no one would see him back there? He blinked rapidly at her for a moment, water streaming down his face.

"M-Marinette?"

 _Caught in the struggle  
Longing for rescue from this place_

Of course he knew her name. There had been the EvilIlistrator incident and he'd saved her during the Gamer fiasco, not to mention his extra concern yesterday with the Super Assistant.

"Chat Noir, what are you doing out in this? You're going to get sick!"

She moved closer and crouched down beside him so that they were both sheltered by her umbrella. It put them rather close, and though Marinette was unconscious of the distance since it was only Chat, the other superhero's face took on a red tinge. Marinette frowned in concern and put a hand to his wet forehead.

"Are you feeling alright? You look flushed."

"I-I'm fine," he said, shaking his head a bit and dislodging her hand.

 _If I had the power  
To fix myself you know I would_

She was still looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes though, face full of concern. For him. A person she barely knew. Sure, he was one of the heroes of Paris, but she didn't actually know him. They were virtual strangers at worst and distant acquaintances at best. Chat tried to wrap his head around the fact that she was genuinely concerned for him, and the idea flooded him with warmth.

"Why aren't you at home?" she asked, her sweet voice gentle as she gave him a little smile. "This isn't exactly the weather for sitting around outside, you know."

He dropped his gaze, suddenly embarrassed by his own stupidity. She was right. He should be at home and all his reasons for not being there in this weather were stupid. Still, he found himself mumbling a reply to her question as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Couldn't make myself go home. Didn't want to."

 _So I'll keep on waiting..._

She cocked her head to the side for a moment, studying his reddening face. Then, she took his hand and pulled him up with her as she stood.

"Then come home with me."

"What?"

His eyes went huge with surprise and she giggled at his reaction.

Geez, was she adorable.

"If you don't want to go to your home," she said, still smiling. "Then come home with me. If nothing else, it'll give you a chance to dry off and warm up, right?"

Chat stared down at her, still disbelieving.

"But… um, why? I mean, you don't even know me, princess."

"You're Chat Noir. What else do I need to know?"

Stunned and not sure how to respond to such trust, he didn't fight when she set the umbrella in the hand and slipped her own hand into the crook of his arm. Then she was pulling him along next to her, out of the alley and down the street.

 _The lights go up  
Exposing all that you see_

If anyone had been around, they might have thought it a strange sight. The leather-clad superhero walking arm-in-arm with the cute little baker in a hoodie and jeans, an umbrella sheltering them both as it poured around them. Chat wouldn't have let it bother him, though. He realized suddenly, as they walked in companionable silence, that this girl's warmth and light weren't exclusive to her baking. She showered them on everyone, even a stray alley cat who hadn't wanted to go home.

He swallowed hard and stared ahead. No one had cared like that for him in years. Not since his mother had disappeared. It made it hard to believe it was happening right now.

Chat glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye and saw that she had a contented little smile on her face as she watched the rain fall. Then, a huge grin lit up her face and she looked at him, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she pointed ahead to a huge puddle.

"Come on!"

 _I am a tragedy  
Bound by this role I play the lead  
Could you write a new ending?_

Before his brain had entirely processed what she was about to do, she took off at a run, keeping him right beside her, and jumped straight into the giant puddle ahead of them. Chat could only blink in surprise at the turn of events, his feet several inches deep in water, as Marinette bounced through it and out the other side, waves, splashes, and Chat in her wake as she kept her hold on his arm.

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

Out of the puddle, she picked up their previous pace again, grinning madly. When all she saw on Chat's face was surprise, her grin fell a bit.

"Not a fan of puddles? I guess you wouldn't really be a fan of water, would you? Cat and all."

She gestured to the top of her head to indicate his cat ears. He shook his head.

"No, no, it's not that. I mean, no I'm not really a fan of the rain, you just surprised me is all."

He paused and suddenly huffed a laugh, looking away.

"I haven't puddle jumped since I was a little kid."

Chat glanced sideways at his companion and then let a roughish smile take over his face.

"Bet I can jump in more puddles than you!"

"Oh, you're on!"

 _I'm finished fighting  
All of my battles are in vain_

It took much longer than is should have to get to Marinette's house after that. They zig-zagged across the road dozens of times, looking for the best puddles, making faces of disappointment when the splashes weren't as big as they wanted them, and only had two cars come along to honk at them for running in the road. They splashed and laughed and kicked water at each other until they were both breathless, leaning on each other giggling like idiots.

"Pri… Princess, I… haven't had that m… much fun… in ages," Chat managed between gasps for air and bouts of laughter as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Marinette waited until she had control of her own lungs and laughter before replying. Then she looked up at the superhero, still grinning.

"And I haven't ever had anyone actually willing to go puddle jumping with me. Thanks."

She gave him the biggest smile he'd ever seen and he felt his heart lurch in his chest, making him swallow nervously. No, no, he was not going to fall in love with her. It was just the exhilaration of running around having fun.

Still, he couldn't help but grin back.

"Any time, princess."

 _And I'm tired of trying  
Trying to make things work my way_

When they reached her home, she had him wait in the entryway.

"Maman will be so upset if I track water through the house," she explained. "I'll only be a minute."

Chat shuffled his feet a bit as he waited, but, true to her word, she wasn't gone more than a minute, reappearing with a blanket and several towels. She had him hold the umbrella again as they went around to the bakery and she let them in and led him back into the kitchen.

"Sit," she said, pointing to a stool.

He complied and was handed a towel. His suit was mostly water-proof, but not entirely, so he began drying himself off. Then a second towel was thrown over his head and he froze as Marinette began gently drying his hair, being careful of the cat ears. He felt his face heat a bit, but did his best to suppress it.

 _There's not much to salvage  
But you see something here to save  
So I'll keep on waiting…_

The kitchen began to warm as the oven closest to him began to heat up and he realized she must have taken a moment to turn it on. Mentally, he shook himself and continued drying himself off as she finished with his hair and took the towel away from his head.

"So," the little baker said conversationally. "What's your favorite?"

Chat looked up, surprised.

"My favorite?" he repeated, blinking.

She laughed lightly.

"Pastry? Sweet? This is a bakery after all. What would you like?"

"Oh, um, anything is fine, princess."

She shook her head as she shook a finger at him.

"Nu-uh, you're not getting away with that answer. You were sitting out in the rain not wanting to go home. If anything screams, 'I need comfort food', it's that. So, I'll ask again, what would you like?"

The little baker put her hands on her hips and waited expectantly with an air of gentle firmness. She looked as though she'd wait all night if she had to and Chat had no doubt that she would. He hid his face for a moment in the towel he was holding, pretending that his face needed extra drying, to give himself a moment.

 _The lights go up  
Exposing all that you see_

She was too sweet. She really was. He couldn't wrap his head around how caring she was and it almost made him want to cry. He should have just texted her this morning to hang out instead of letting himself overthink it. She was the perfect friend and he didn't deserve that from her, with or without the mask.

Chat worked a thoughtful expression onto his face before he let the towel fall away. Then he looked toward the ceiling, pondering her question, before he let his gaze wander to hers again.

"Chocolate chip cookies?"

She grinned.

"Easy."

He watched her fall into her dance as she worked in silence, measuring and mixing. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. He became so lost in her dance that it wasn't until she paused and looked over at him with a frown that he realized he was shivering.

 _I am a tragedy  
Bound by this role, I play the lead  
Could you write a new ending?_

With a gentle smile, she grabbed the blanket and slipped it over his shoulders like a cape.

"Silly kitty," she murmured to herself as she went back to scooping out little balls of dough and setting them in neat rows on the cookie sheet.

When the cookies were in the oven, she went digging in the fridge and set a pan of milk to warming on the stove. She disappeared into the pantry for a few minutes, making Chat wonder what she was up to, before she reemerged with several bars of chocolate in hand. She broke them up into the milk and stirred them in.

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

The cookie sheets came out a few minutes later and he watched as she expertly moved them from sheet to cooling rack.

He couldn't believe how much he was enjoying just sitting there, in a warm kitchen, watching his beautiful friend make him cookies and hot chocolate. It was so peaceful and inviting here. She made the place peaceful and inviting with her presence. She made his troubles slip to the back of his mind like they might not even exist anymore.

Ladybug did the same thing for him, he realized, but instead of peaceful and inviting, it was with confidence and action. Two girls who gave him the same peace of mind in completely different ways. It was no wonder he was feeling caught.

Chat suppressed a sigh.

 _I am a tragedy  
Bound by this role, I play the lead  
Could you write a new ending?_

A mug appeared in front of his nose and he looked up to see that Marinette was grinning down at him. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't realized that she'd finished.

Chat reached out and took the mug from her. She pulled a stool up to the big metal table in the center of the kitchen and he followed suit with his as she set a plate of the cookies down between them.

They smelled divine and he happily bit into one, unable to suppress a groan of delight. Nino had been right that first day. Everything she made was like eating a piece of heaven baked by an angel.

She laughed at his reaction and took one for herself.

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

"Are they really that good?" she asked, taking a bite.

He could only make happy munching noises for a few moments as the cookie quickly disappeared, but he nodded emphatically through it all.

"Oh, trust me, princess, they are definitely that good," he told her as soon as his mouth was free.

That widened her smile and made her chuckle.

Half the plate disappeared into Chat's stomach before he slowed and sipped at the delicious hot chocolate she'd made. Heaven.

Then, he sat back and looked at her seriously for a minute. Surprised by the sudden change in his air, Marinette raised her eyebrows at him questioningly. He looked back at her for a long moment, but he wanted to know.

"Aren't you going to ask?"

Her head tilted to the side.

"About what?"

"About why I didn't want to go home."

"Do you want to tell me?"

 _I can't survive any longer  
I'm calling you, calling you_

Chat stared at her. He didn't know what to say. He'd been expecting questions that were apparently never going to come. Most people would have buried him in questions if he'd admitted to them that he didn't want to go home. Why wouldn't one of the hero's of Paris want to go home? What was his home life like? Was it really so bad? Then they would have started pushing for more information than he should give if his identify was going to remain secret and then things would blow up in his face one way or another.

But Marinette… Marinette hadn't asked a single question about anything except what he wanted her to make. She hadn't pushed anything. She hadn't pried. She'd just… been there. She'd made him laugh. She'd made cookies just for him.

He stared at her for so long that she began to frown a bit with worry.

"Chat? Are you alright?" she asked in that gentle way she had.

 _I won't scrape by on my own here  
I'm calling you, calling you_

His vision began to blur and he blinked rapidly to dispel it.

"You're almost too good for this world, princess," he said, voice low to keep it from breaking. "If you were any sweeter, you'd be sugar itself."

She blinked at him once. Twice. Then she laughed.

"Chat Noir, are you flirting with me?"

That brought him up short and his eyes widened. Crap! He waved his hands in front of him.

"No, no! That's not how I meant it at all, princess! Ugh, I'm so sorry. I just meant, you're a really good person, you know? I haven't met anyone like you before. Anyone else would have been bombarding me with questions but the only things you've asked me are about what I want. I just… I haven't had anyone care so much about what I want in a long time and…"

He lowered his hands and looked away, feeling the prick at the back of his eyes of threatening tears again. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry. I just…"

 _Take me away  
You've got plans for me, I'm listening  
Take me away  
You're my one hope for escape_

Chat suddenly found the little baker's arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. He was so startled that he completely froze. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath. He couldn't think.

Then, slowly, his brain started working again. He swallowed hard, a lump rising in his throat as the tears stung his eyes. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her shoulder, and then, he let himself quietly cry.

He realized at one point that she had started running her fingers gently through his hair as she crooned soft reassurances in his ear.

"Oh, my poor chaton…"

 _I am a tragedy  
Bound by this role, I play the lead  
Could you write a new ending?_

Marinette thought her heart might just break. She felt terrible. She didn't know what was wrong and she felt as though it was her own fault that she didn't know. Would he have told Ladybug? Should she have gone a patrol tonight after all? But then, they never talked about anything personal as their alter egos, and that was her fault too, for insisting on keeping their identities a secret from each other.

Certainly, she'd been wondering what was wrong since the moment she'd spotted him sitting listlessly in the rain, but prying would have put him in a tough position, and the last thing she wanted was to make his day worse. That was part of why she'd run through that first puddle, trying to cheer him up. It had worked in a roundabout way.

Baking always helped to cheer her up and she knew all too well the power of comfort food. That was why she'd promised herself as they walked home that she'd bake whatever he asked for, even if she'd never made it before. Cookies had been child's play.

Hot chocolate was the thing her parents had always made for her when she'd had a bad day, so she'd made that, too.

She didn't want to pry, but she did want to help. She felt so stupid for insisting on secrecy now. Did her partner have a bad home life? From the little he had said, it sounded like whoever he had at home didn't particularly care about him or what he wanted.

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

The little baker sighed quietly, disappointed in herself and hurting for Chat, though she didn't know why. As his tears began to slow, she made a resolution. She might still need to keep the professional boundaries she'd set as Ladybug, but that didn't mean Marinette couldn't be Chat's friend, right?

When he started to pull away, she let him, her hands falling away as he wiped his eyes, sniffling. He wouldn't look at her and she understood. They were, without her mask on, barely acquaintances, and crying on the shoulder of someone like that could be embarrassing.

She picked up her hot chocolate and sipped at it, though it was luke warm now.

"Sorry," she heard him say quietly after a long pause.

She looked over at him with a gentle smile.

"Don't be."

Chat looked up then and she turned so that she was facing him. She took his hands and gave them a squeeze as he stared at her.

"I don't know what your life is like on the other side of that mask," she said quietly. "But it sounds as though it's pretty lonely. I just want you to know that you are always welcome here, Chat. Any time, any day, and I mean it. You don't ever have to tell me anything you don't want to and I will never pry, but no one should be alone."

 _Cause, I am a tragedy  
Bound by this role, I play the lead  
Could You write a new ending?_

Chat didn't know what to say. He was at a complete loss of words. Here was this girl, who hardly knew him, who had taken him in off the street, who had run through rain puddles laughing with him, who had asked what he wanted, who had made him cookies and hot chocolate, who had hugged him and let him cry on her shoulder without even knowing why he was crying, and now, now she was sitting there, offering her friendship and company whenever he wanted it, because she didn't think he should be alone.

He stood and scooped her right off her stool and into a bear hug.

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

She was giggling as he kissed the top of her head and whispered.

"You really are a princess, princess."

 _Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story  
Tear out these pages  
Rewrite this story_

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A/N: I'll admit, Marichat is my corner of the love square and I loved writing these past two chapters. :) So, of course, there will be plenty more Marichat to come eventually.

The song is "Letter to the Editor" by Philmont and I highly recommend a listen. :)

Till next chapter!


	11. Sticking with You

Chapter 10: Sticking With You

Chat gently lowered the little baker back down to the stool he'd stolen her from and retrieved his fallen blanket before reseating himself. Marinette was giving him a lopsided grin as she sipped her hot chocolate, which he knew was far from hot at this point thanks to him, but she didn't seem to mind the fact, so he sipped on his own and didn't comment.

The rain had lessened somewhat outside and, as he watched the raindrops side down the fogging pane, Chat found that maybe he did want to talk a bit, but only because it was Marinette who would be listening.

"My father expects me to follow in his footsteps," he said in such a low, quiet voice that no one else but the girl next to him would have been able to hear. "It wouldn't be so bad if I had any interest at all in what he does, but in truth, I don't want anything to do with it. It's not that it's a bad business or anything, it's just not what I want to do with my life, but…"

He turned his gaze to studying his mug intently, both clawed hands wrapping around it. A sigh escaped him as his shoulders slumped.

"He's got me so wrapped up in doing what he wants me to do and playing the good son that I haven't had any chance to figure out what I actually want for my life."

Chat finally looked over at the little baker and saw only sympathetic understanding there. No judgement. No impatience. It boosted him a bit.

"I take it you haven't said any of that to him?" she surmised just as quietly.

Chat snorted a rueful laugh.

"The last "talk" we had was him bursting into my bedroom before I was even awake to lecture me. By the time I was awake enough to even understand what he was going on about, he'd finished what he wanted to say and stalked out."

She frowned. She wanted to ask what his mother thought of her son following in his father's footsteps when the son obviously didn't want to, but felt as though it might be prying since Chat hadn't brought her up.

"Is there anyone who could talk to him for you? Be a sort of… advocate?" she asked instead.

Chat shook his head and released his mug to stare at his gloved hands instead.

"No, there really isn't. It's something I'm going to have to talk to him about myself, but…" He paused with a sigh and then gave her a rueful little grin. "He's a very busy and intimidating person. Every time I get up the courage to bring it up, he has to leave for some meeting or other."

The bluenette put a supportive hand over his as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Marinette?"

They both froze at the sound of the new voice, coming from the bakery itself. The little baker's went wide and she began motioning Chat towards the pantry. He quickly complied, scurrying off with his mug in hand to hide the evidence of a second person as Marinette quietly put the stools back where they had been before.

"Marinette?" the voice called again, and Chat realized it must be her father.

"I'm in here, papa," she called, moving to the stove.

Then, a huge man poked his head through the door, giving his daughter a worried look.

"Are you alright? It's pretty late to be baking, especially when you have to be up early."

His daughter gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, papa. Just a late-night craving after my walk. Want one?" She held up the plate of cookies as she continued. "And you're one to talk. You've usually been sound asleep for a couple of hours by now. Why are you up?"

The big man shook his head to the cookies as he came fully into the kitchen, so Marinette put the plate back down as he answered her other question.

"The thunder woke me up and I saw light coming from the windows down here. When I saw you weren't in your bed, I thought I had better come check on you."

Chat felt a sting of envy at her father's words, even as it made him smile slightly. The man had woken up and checked on his daughter, just because he was awake, and then had come to make sure she was alright when she wasn't in her bed.

"I really am fine and I won't be too much longer. I'll head up soon," his daughter promised.

He ruffled her hair fondly.

"See that you do, sweetheart."

She jumped up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, papa."

"Goodnight."

When Chat could hear that the man had left the shop, he crept back out quietly, looking at the kitchen door and wondering what it would be like to have a father who cared like that.

"Chat?"

The blonde boy turned green eyes to the little baker thoughtfully, a bit of wistful sadness in his gaze.

"He really cares, doesn't he?"

Marinette nodded, still smiling softly.

"Yes, he does. He's a good man, my papa."

Chat nodded slowly, gaze sliding back to the door. Marinette moved closer and touched his arm, but didn't say anything. After a moment, his eyes shifted to her again and he gave her a rueful smile.

"He's a lot different than my father," he said simply.

She gave him a sad smile and gently tugged his arm to bring him back to the table, but Chat shook his head.

"No, princess, your father was right. It's late. I should go home and you should get to bed."

"I've baked on far less sleep," she told him with a gentle smile. "Don't worry on my account."

That tugged a grin out of Chat. He couldn't help it. When she looked at him like that it made him want to smile too. He leaned closer and booped her nose, earning himself a surprised laugh.

"You certainly don't need beauty sleep, purrrincess," he told her playfully. "But an alley cat like me needs as much sleep as he can get."

He caught her hand and kissed the back of it, making the girl squeak in surprise, then performed a sweeping bow as he released her.

"Goodnight, princess. May your dreams be as sweet as you."

Chat winked as he came out of the bow, and then he turned and was out of the kitchen and then the shop before she could think to follow.

Alone in the kitchen, Marinette held the hand he'd kissed to her chest and stared at the door, a mixture of sadness and worry pooling in her stomach. She definitely had to do something more for Chat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dude, you should totally throw a halloween party!"

"You think so?" Adrien asked, his doubt evident.

He'd been telling Alya and Nino about the upcoming visit from his father's Italian business partner and the daughter the man was bringing along. They were all waiting outside the bakery for Marinette to finish for the day as they munched on their preferred pastries.

"Oh, yeah!" the other boy said, nodding emphatically. "We'll show her how Parisians party!"

Adrien frowned.

"I don't think my father would be too happy about me throwing a party."

"Dude, just tell him it's for the girl. He said you were supposed to show her a good time right? What's a better time than a party?"

Alya was nodding.

"I agree," she told Adrien. "Actually, it might impress your father that you're taking extra pains to make her feel welcome."

The blonde looked out over the park in thoughtful silence for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, that's possible, I guess, but it's going to be a pretty boring party. He'll insist on inviting a bunch of his business contacts and you guys are the only actual friends I'd be inviting, besides Marinette of course."

Nino and Alya looked at each other, communicating silently for a long moment before they both grinned. Nino threw an arm around Adrien's shoulders.

"Dude, you just give us an extra twenty or so invites and we'll make sure the party rocks."

Adrien hesitated.

"Don't worry," Alya added. "We'll make sure none of them will do anything stupid to embarrass you."

The blonde boy finally grinned.

"Alright, sounds like a plan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Ladybug sat on the Eiffel Tower, looking out over the city shining below her and pondering her next move. She'd gone out just a bit earlier than normal for her patrol, because she'd wanted some time to think. She'd consulted with Tikki earlier, which had helped her resolve, but now she was trying to decided exactly how she wanted to approach her feline partner.

She knew she couldn't bring up anything that had happened last night, because Ladybug hadn't been there and she didn't want to give away that she was Marinette. She also couldn't suddenly start talking about their personal lives, because it would be completely out of character for Ladybug. Maybe she could start on a slightly different topic and work her way around to it?

 _Come on, it's me you're talking to  
There's something going on inside of you  
Don't have to say it but I wish you would  
Cause it would be much easier_

"Good evening, my lady," came Chat's cheery voice as he dropped down beside her with a grin. "You're looking pawsitively radiant tonight."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but didn't try very hard to suppress her smile.

"Hey, Chat. How do things look?"

He shrank his baton and placed it at his back as he seated himself next to her.

"All quiet. You?"

"Same," she said, looking back out towards the city again.

They sat for several moments in silence, enjoying the view, before Ladybug leaned back on her hands and looked up towards the sky thoughtfully.

"Chat," she said quietly. "I've been thinking."

Chat turned his full attention to her. She probably wanted to talk about the akuma, he guessed, but he certainly didn't mind if it meant he got to look at her that much longer. Something in him had eased at the sight of her already waiting for him tonight, and he was glad she'd come out to patrol.

She gave him a sideways glance, then looked away again with a sigh.

 _You always hide behind yourself  
You walk a lonely road with no one's help  
I hate to break the news  
You're headed for a fall_

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently," she finally went on. "And…"

His lady trailed off with a frustrated sigh and Chat cocked his head, puzzled. What was she trying to say? She straightened.

"Alright, I'm just going to say it and I'm sorry if I don't make sense, but words aren't really my thing."

She paused, looking at her hands where she twisted them in her lap.

"I've been thinking a lot about our civilian selves and why it is that I get this horrible feeling in my gut every time you bring up revealing our identifies to each other. I've been wrestling with it for a while now, because I know it isn't that I don't trust you. I know I'd trust you with my life as quickly as I'd trust you with the lives of my family and friends, so it can't be a trust thing. There's no one I trust more than you, Chat."

Her partner was staring at her, his mind whirling. He already knew that she trusted him, though it was nice to hear her put it into words. At the same time though, he wondered where she was going with this. Was she going to want to reveal their identifies tonight? Finally? After all this time, just like that? There was no way his luck was that good.

"I feel the same way, my lady," he told her sincerely.

She nodded, still not looking at him.

 _And if I have to jump, then I'll jump  
And I won't look down  
You can cry, you can fight  
You can scream and shout_

"So, I've been thinking about it a lot and I finally realized it's because… well, because I'm afraid."

Chat blinked at her. Ladybug, afraid? Of what? He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, my lady, I don't understand."

She sighed heavily and looked at the sky.

"Without the mask, I'm not much like Ladybug," she told him, quietly at first, but slowly gaining speed as she went on. "I'm not confident or brave or graceful. You like me well enough with the mask, but without it? I'm terrified that you won't like the person underneath, and if I'm so different in my civilian form, then how much different are you? I'm scared that I'll find out you're a completely different person and that I won't like that person for some reason or our civilian forms will hate each other and then the great relationship we have right now will go up in flames and I don't know if I can handle that and I'm just…"

She trailed off with a sigh.

"I'm just scared it'll all end horribly."

 _I'll push and pull until your walls come down  
And you understand, I'm gonna be around  
I'm sticking with you, sticking with you_

Chat caught her hand and held it to his heart.

"My lady, I could never hate you, no matter what!"

She gently tugged her hand away, shaking her head.

"That's just my point, Chat, you can't possibly know that and you saying it doesn't change my doubts. If all it took was a declaration like that, then I wouldn't have been afraid in the first place."

Her partner sat back, frowning.

"So, what are you getting at then?"

She glanced down for a moment, steeling herself, then took a deep breath.

 _Even if you try and shut me out  
I'm staying here cause that's what love's about  
I might let you down but I won't let you go_

"I think, maybe, it might be less of a shock revealing ourselves eventually if we started sharing more about our civilian lives." She looked up quickly, holding up her hands. "I don't mean like our names or things we could use to figure out who the other is, at least not a first, I just mean, I guess I mean that I'd like to get to know more about you and let you know more about me and maybe it might help alleviate my fears."

She forced herself to stop talking, feeling that her face had started to flush and if she went any longer she'd start babbling like an idiot and getting off topic. Instead, she clenched her hands in her lap and waited for Chat's reaction.

 _So lean into me, I want to know  
Everything about the fear you hold inside  
'Cause you and I are better than just one_

Chat couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Ladybug actually sitting there, telling him that she wanted to know more about him? Was she seriously considering revealing her identity if he could help alleviate her fears?

He knew he'd love this girl, no matter what form she took, but if she was worried that he wouldn't, he'd do whatever it took to make her understand.

She wasn't looking at him, so he reached out and gently took one of her fisted hands, drawing it to his lips. Her head snapped up to look at him, surprise and worry mingling in her gaze.

"Whatever my lady wishes, I'm hers to command," he told her simply, a gentle smile on his lips.

 _So if I have to jump, then I'll jump  
And I won't look down  
You can cry, you can fight  
You can scream and shout_

Ladybug almost breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't exactly what she'd wanted him to say, but it was close enough. She took her hand back and looked away again, not sure where to go from here. So far her plan had worked, but she hadn't thought it out any further than that. She hadn't been sure how he'd react to her fears, though she supposed she should have expected a good outcome since it was Chat, but still, she'd planned to have to fight for it a bit more.

So now what? Where did she start?

 _I'll push and pull until your walls come down  
And you understand, I'm gonna be around  
I'm sticking with…_

As she thought furiously about what the next best step would be, Chat leaned back on his hands.

"My civilian form has to wear a lot of cologne, because otherwise I smell like camembert all the time."

Her head whipped around to look at him, wide-eyed, and he laughed at her expression.

"What?" she said, disbelieving. "Why camembert?"

Chat grinned.

"Cause it's the only thing my kwami will eat."

Ladybug laughed.

"That's terrible! Camembert? Really? Mine eats nothing but cookies."

"Lucky. I wish Plagg would eat sweets instead of stinky cheese."

 _That's what it means to love you  
That's what it means to have your back  
That's what it takes to show you  
That I'm in, I'm in_

Yes, this was good. This was a very good place to start. It was common ground. It was safe. Maybe he wouldn't open up to her tonight, or tomorrow, or even months from now, but eventually, she hoped, he might let her in if she let down her guard first.

"Is he helpful at least?"

Chat snorted a laugh.

"'Helpful' and 'Plagg' don't belong in the same sentence unless there's a whole lot of sarcasm attached," he told her. "Really, he just lays around all day, demanding camembert and napping."

"Oh, no, really?" she asked, giggling. "He sounds a lot different than Tikki. She's always giving me advise and encouraging me."

He grinned, mischievously.

"Wanna trade kwamis for a day?"

Ladybug laughed.

"No way!"

 _If I have to jump, then I'll jump  
And I won't look down  
You can cry, you can fight  
You can scream and shout_

An hour passed, then two, as the superheroes talked about little things in their lives and and swapped stories about their kwamis, laughing the whole time. Ladybug found herself wishing she'd worked it out sooner in her own head. Chat didn't deserve to be lonely just because she was afraid of what might happen.

 _I'll push and pull until your walls come down  
And you understand, I'm gonna be around  
And if I have to jump, then I'll jump  
And I won't look down  
You can cry, you can fight  
You can scream and shout_

The moon had risen as a comfortable silence fell between them and Ladybug sighed softly. She had school in the morning and, as enjoyable as talking with Chat had turned out to be, she really should go home.

She stood slowly, looking back down at Chat with a smile.

"I'd best get home. It's a school night."

He stood as well, snagging her hand and kissing the back of it before she could pull away.

"Of course, my lady," he replied. "And thank you."

She blinked at him, surprised.

"For what?"

He gave her a warm smile.

"For trusting me with your fears. I'll do whatever I can to alleviate them."

She gave him a small smile in return before she swung away towards home.

 _I'll push and pull until your walls come down  
And you understand, I'm gonna be around  
Cause I'm sticking with you  
I'm sticking with you  
I'm sticking with you_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: The song is "Sticking with You" by Addison Road. We're getting close to the new chapter! :)

Till the next one!


	12. Who's That Girl?

Chapter 11: Who's That Girl?

"Oooh, Marinette, you should try this one on!"

Marinette turned to Alya, who stood between racks of costumes, and laughed at the skimpy nurse outfit her best friend was holding up for inspection.

"Sure, but only if you're trying on this."

She pulled a huge yellow duck suit, complete with feathers and puffy orange feet, off a rack near her and held it towards Alya, who made a face and laughed.

"How's that a fair trade? I try and make you look sexy and you try and put me in a duck suit? Not cool!"

"Then try finding me something that won't have me wishing for a trench coat all night," the bluenette shot back.

Alya heaved a put-upon sigh and rolled her eyes, even as she grinned.

"Fiiiiine, I'll find something else."

"Good, then I will too," Marinette replied, going back to sifting through racks.

Several minutes later, the little baker heard her friend gasp, giggle and call her name in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, Mar~in~e~tte~…"

The girl in question suppressed a groan. This was going to worse than the nurse costume. She just knew it. Bracing herself as she followed Alya's voice, the bluenette rounded a tall rack and stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw what was in her best friend's hands.

"No. No way. Uh-uh. Not on your life. No."

Alya grinned evilly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The past two weeks had flown by. Between party planning, Italian crash courses on top of his usual studies, keeping up with his patrols as Chat Noir, and having real friends to try and hang out with between photo shoots and interviews, Adrien had barely had time to even consider talking with his father.

Adrien took a last look at himself in the mirror. His charcoal suit was perfectly tailored and the cream button up shirt had been pressed. His shoes were polished and his hair was styled. Then he frowned. He was missing something. Looking more closely at his sleeves, he sighed.

Then, he began searching. Not on his dresser, not in the bathroom, not on his nightstand.

"Plagg, did you eat my cufflinks?"

The kwami opened a lazy eye.

"Are they cheese?"

Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Of course not, but you've been known to mistake jewelry boxes for boxes of cheese, so, did you eat them?"

Plagg sat up, hands on his hips.

"I'm offended that you think so little of me, after all we've been through."

"It's precisely because of all we've been through that I'm asking," his chosen shot back. "Seriously, have you seen them?"

The kwami thought long and hard for a minute.

"Mmmm, small little nugget things that maybe, possibly, under the right lighting could have looked like small pieces of cheese?"

Adrien groaned.

"Plagg, please tell me you didn't actually eat my cufflinks."

"Of course not! They tasted disgusting anyway. I think I spat them in that direction."

The black kwami pointed to the far side of the bed near the wall. The blonde rolled his eyes heavenward in a silent plea for patience, and climbed over the bed go dig around in the small space. When he did at last find them, they were wet with kwami spit and he was forced to wash them off before he could put them on.

"Thanks, Plagg," Adrien mumbled to himself as he did so.

"What was that?" the kwami asked, floating towards the mirror.

The blonde sighed.

"Nothing. Let's go."

As Adrien climbed into the waiting limo, his phone buzzed. It looked to be a huge group text that originated with Nino.

 _'Kim v Alex. Plaza. 1 hr.'_

Alya and Nino had been introducing him to their classmates in small groups as the people the other invitations were going to. So far he'd liked everyone he'd met. It took him a moment to recall who Kim and Alex were, but once he did, he grinned. Whatever had prompted this, it was sure to be good. He hoped he'd be able to make it.

He replied and then silenced his phone as everyone else started putting in their two cents worth, asking questions, and saying excitedly that they'd be there and couldn't wait. Then a few moments later, his phone was back in his pocket and they were pulling up the hotel.

Adrien let himself out before the doorman or his bodyguard could reach him, and waved them both off with a smile. He walked into the lobby right on time to find his father already there with a man Adrien didn't know and a girl about his own age.

Gabriel turned as his son walked up to the group and gave the boy a once over inspection before motioning to the other man.

"Monsieur Rossi, my son, Adrien. Adrien, this is Monsieur Rossi and his daughter, Lila."

Adrien shook the man's offered hand and gave his model smile before turning his gaze to the girl. She was pretty, with olive green eyes and long brown hair and bangs, but she smiled far too flirtatiously for his taste, even if his heart hadn't already been claimed.

"It's nice to meet you, Lila," he told her, his model smile still firmly in place as he took her offered hand.

"You as well," she replied with a coy grin.

"Monsieur Rossi," his father continued. "Perhaps we should leave the young people to their own devices for a while."

"Good idea, Gabriel," the other man agreed.

Cool blue eyes turned on Adrien, who met his father's gaze and knew perfectly well what the man wanted him to do. The blonde nodded slightly and turned back to the girl, holding out an arm and making sure his practiced smile was where it belonged.

"Shall we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marinette was regretting letting Alya talk her into going to an actual costume store now as she carried her bag home and considered the outfit therein. She never should have let the girl talk her into it.

Her phone had been buzzing nearly non-stop since the first text from Nino had come through. It seemed no one who was saying anything actually knew what the bet was, though obviously it was a bet if Kim was involved, and there was all sorts of speculation, which got crazier and crazier the longer it went on.

As soon as Marinette had dropped her regretted purchase off at home, she turned right back around and headed for the plaza, where she'd agreed to meet Alya. Her best friend was already waiting for her, since her house was closer.

"So, any word on the bet yet?" the little baker asked as she hugged the journalist.

"Nothing yet, but I'm going to make Alex tell me the second she gets here."

Marinette laughed, almost feeling bad for the other girl who'd be subjected to her best friend's reporter side.

When Nino made his appearance, he was mobbed by the waiting group, which was growing rapidly. He was only saved when Alya pulled him out and demanded everyone back off her boy. Then, of course, she was the one demanding answers, but Nino insisted he'd tell everyone at the same time.

Then the limo pulled up, getting a couple of cat calls from some of their classmates. Adrien climbed out, dressed in a suit, and made a face at the cat callers, before grinning at them all good naturedly. The little baker felt her heart flutter in her chest at the sight of him. He was even more handsome than usual, dressed up like that.

Then, he was turning back to the limo and giving his hand to someone who was still inside. Aa beautiful Italian girl appeared with a coy grin she directed solely at Adrien, Marinette felt the flutters of her heart turn to painful twists of jealousy.

 _Who's that girl?  
Where's she from?  
No, she can't be the one  
That you want  
That has stolen my world_

As the blonde boy and the stranger approached, the girl keeping her hand on Adrien's arm, the baker put on her friendliest smile and ignored the worried look that Alya shot her.

"Hey, man!" Nino greeted, throwing an arm around Adrien's shoulders as he reached them. "Glad you could make it! This is gonna be good."

"Is it going to be anything like their last bet?"

Nino laughed.

"Something like that."

Alya groaned.

"Don't tell me he challenged her to another race."

Nino just grinned.

"So," he asked Adrien. "Who's your friend?"

"Guys, this is Lila Rossi," the model said, gesturing to the girl who had yet to let go of his arm. "Lila, these are my friends, Nino, Alya, and Marinette."

The girl, Lila, nodded politely to all of them, though it seemed to Marinette that her gaze lingered in an unfriendly way on her. No, that couldn't be right. She was imagining things. It was her jealousy talking. After all, they didn't even know each other.

Lila leaned into Adrien and smiled up at him. Marinette felt her heart twist again, even as she forced her smile to stay in place.

 _It's not real, it's not right  
It's my day, it's my night  
By the way  
Who's that girl living my life?_

Huffing breaths interrupted all the conversations as Kim appeared and paused, jogging in place as people started demanding answers about the bet. The jock grinned and stopped running in place long enough to put a fist on his hip and point to himself with his free thumb.

"That's right, I bet Alex I could beat her this year, three times around the plaza."

"What're the stakes this time?" called Alya.

The sound of rollerblades on pavement had everyone turning to see a scarlet-faced Alex approaching at speed. She skidded to a halt just shy of crashing right into the jock, whom she was glaring daggers at. Kim hadn't even flinched. If anything, he looked even more confident now.

"If I win," Alex stated, still glaring. "Same as last time. No more bets for the rest of the year."

"And if I win," Kim continued, looking smug. "Alex has to go to Adrien's Halloween party as my date."

There was an audible gasp and then everyone was talking. Marinette exchanged looks with Alya and then couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. Alex looked ready to run Kim over where he stood and the little baker didn't think he had a prayer of winning with the pink-haired girl in that sort of mood.

Max gave everyone a few minutes to get everything out of their systems before he called everyone's attention to the starting line. A countdown and they were off. Everyone started cheering, with a surprising number rooting Kim on. Marinette cheered for them both.

 _Seems like everything's the same around me  
Then I look again and everything has changed_

As the first lap completed, Marinette caught sight of Lila, still attached to Adrien's arm like a leech, leaning in even closer to say something in his ear. The little baker gritted her teeth and forced her attention back to the race.

No. She was not going to be that girl. Yes, she had a massive crush on Adrien, but that didn't mean he had to feel the same way. She'd known from the start that he probably didn't and she wanted to be his friend. Nothing more.

She caught her eyes wandering back to the pair again, seeing Adrien distractedly replying to whatever the girl had said. Marinette tried her best to put a damper on the petty, ungracious thoughts that flooded her mind as she suppressed a groan.

Of all the girls in the world, why her?

 _I'm not dreaming so I don't know why  
I don't know why  
I don't know why  
She's everywhere I wanna be_

The second lap ended with Kim, shockingly, keeping pace with Alex. He was beginning to look a little winded, but that just spurred his supporters on to louder cheering and put a grin back on his face.

He must have been practicing for a while to get fast enough to keep up with an angry Alex on her rollerblades, Marinette realized as she watched in awe. How much extra training did something like that take? She couldn't begin to guess.

The little baker's concentration was broken by a flirty giggle in the direction of Lila and Adrien.

 _Who's that girl?  
Where's she from?  
No she can't be the one  
That you want  
That has stolen my world_

Marinette refused to look again. She didn't want to know what she'd see.

"You can do it!" she cheered to both competitors as they made the last turn.

Kim was falling a bit behind now, but he put on a burst of speed as the cheers redoubled. Max was waiting by the finish line and Alya was recording everything, for posterities sake.

Then, her gaze wandered for a moment and she caught Adrien looking down at Lila with that beautiful smile of his. For a moment, Marinette couldn't breath as jealousy nearly strangled her.

She made herself look away.

 _It's not real, it's not right  
It's my day, it's my night  
By the way  
Who's that girl living my life?_

Alex crossed the finish line moments before Kim skidded through after her. The pink-haired girl held up a triumphant fist as everyone cheered for her, whether or not they had been before. Kim walked in slow circles getting his breath back as their classmates and friends called out their sympathies. He waved them off with a grin, though it was a less cocky grin that his usual one. No one commented if they noticed the fact.

Marinette turned to Alya.

"You get it all?"

"Of course!" the other replied proudly. "Start to finish. Man was that a close one! He's been practicing!"

"That's exactly what I'd been thinking," the little baker agreed with a nod. "I wonder how long it took him?"

Alya shrugged and suddenly Adrien was standing there, Lila still clinging to his arm like she wanted to be permanently attached. To Marinette's relief, the model didn't seem thrilled by the attention, but more politely enduring.

"That was amazing!" he said, looking to the little baker with a grin.

"Y-yeah it was," she agreed, her heart warming.

"Adrien," Lila interjected, somehow managing to lean into him even more. "You said we had reservations for lunch? I'm famished."

She looked up at him through her lashes and Marinette did her best not to gag.

 _Who's that girl?  
Where's she from?  
No she can't be the one  
That you want  
That has stolen my world_

Adrien checked his watched and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. We shouldn't make them hold the table."

He looked back to the girls as Nino joined them.

"I'll see you guys tonight?"

"You bet, man!" the other boy said, giving him a thumbs up.

"We'll all be there, right guys?" Alya called over her shoulder to the rest of their classmates, who cheered loudly in response.

Then the model's gaze fell on Marinette, who could only nod in agreement as those gorgeous green eyes seemed to bore right into her soul. The blonde boy grinned and the baker felt herself flush as she returned the smile.

"Alright, see you guys then!"

Adrien turned away waving to everyone, Lila still clinging to his arm, as Nino turned to his girlfriend and asked about the costumes the girls had gotten. The bluenette groaned and covered her face with her hands as Alya laughed.

No one noticed the dark glare the pretty Italian girl was giving the sweet little baker as Adrien opened the limo door. As he turned back to help her in though, the glare was gone, replaced once again by that flirty smile.

 _It's not real, it's not right  
It's my day, it's my night  
By the way  
Who's that girl living my life?  
Oh no, living my life_

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A/N: I don't know that this was the best song for this chapter but I couldn't come up with anything better so oh well. It's "Who's That Girl?" By Hilary Duff.

Let me know what you guys think. Till next chapter! :)


	13. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Chapter 12: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic

Lila would have made a pleasant companion, Adrien decided, if only she would have stopped clinging and flirting so insistently. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to want to take a hint.

Adrien kept his smile on through lunch, somehow managing to keep the small talk going, despite her attempts to turn everything either of them said into more than was meant. After lunch, he showed her a few more of the sights. He briefly considered taking her by the Dupain bakery, since it was the best bakery in Paris, but decided against it. As much as he wanted to see a face that wasn't quite as friendly as Lila was trying to be, he didn't want to burden Marinette and her parents with putting up with the girl.

By three-thirty, Adrien finally had an excuse to drop Lila off at the hotel again. When she tired to thwart his escape plan, Adrien pointed out that she wanted to have plenty of time to get ready, didn't she? After all, she was the guest of honor and shouldn't be rushed. She would want to look perfect, wouldn't she? She still hesitated, so he gave her his most disarming smile and that sealed the deal. The model practically slammed the door of the limo behind Lila as she climbed out, ordering Gorilla to go before the girl could change her mind. He didn't breath easy until they were out of sight of the hotel.

He leaned back in his seat with a sigh and then everything began to shake. Adrien's eyes shot open as Gorilla slammed on the brakes a moment later and he saw that a huge wall of plant life had sprung up across the road, tearing up the pavement and making it impossible to go any further.

Akuma.

Adrien and his bodyguard tumbled out of the limo as the victim appeared, being carried aloft by a huge group of sharp-spiked fast-growing vines. The man was laughing… and purple. Adrien had to do a double take, but no, he wasn't seeing things. From head to toe, the akuma victim was purple and covered in spikes so sharp they actually glinted as he moved. That was going to suck big time.

On, the plus side, he was pretty sure the item was the flower that had been tucked into the guy's belt because there wasn't a single other flower on him anywhere.

The ground began rumbling again and Adrien ran as the akuma's vines followed. Crap.

Someone grabbed him around the waist, knocking the wind out of him with a gasp, and then he was flying through the air, the arm still holding him. He glanced up over his shoulder and, sure enough, it was Ladybug.

Then, everything went wrong.

Vines were already screaming towards them as Ladybug went to land and there was no time for him to think. He grabbed his lady before she'd even had a chance to release him and spun them both away, into an open arch doorway. Vines crashed into the stone structure around them so hard that the world around them seemed to shatter.

They rolled together, the force of the hit pushing them further into the building and for several moments that seemed to last an eternity, Adrien couldn't tell which limbs were his and which were the spotted superhero's.

At some point, they stopped rolling and simply lay where they had landed, winded and bruised, coughing sporadically as the dust-filled air settled. Slowly, Adrien got his bearings and realized that Ladybug had ended up on top of him, her cheek pressed into his shoulder. He could feel her breath on his neck beginning to even out as she too took stock of the situation. Then, he was immediately aware that her entire body was pressed flush up against him and his heart rate picked up, even as he felt himself flush as red as her suit.

His right arm had ended up up around her waist almost possessively and his left hand was bracing her head against his chest. He loosened his grip and tried to take a calming breath. She had to hear his heart pounding away like a drummer in a rock band and he wasn't sure he could possibly be more embarrassed.

The sound of rocks crumbling around the entrance slowly faded and Ladybug stirred with a soft groan. Slowly, she lifted her head, blinking a bit disorientatedly at him for a long moment before seeming to realize how she was laying splayed on top of him. He saw a flush beginning to show itself under her mask before she tried to sit up and paused with a wince instead.

"Are, are you okay?" He asked.

She looked at him, their faces now only inches apart and he saw the flush in her cheeks darken a bit even as he lost himself in the sea-deep blue of her eyes. For a long moment, the world seemed to pause and he thought he could have stayed there forever.

Then Ladybug seemed to come back to herself and hastily sat up, almost falling off of him in her hurry to disentangle herself. He wanted to make a flirty comment, but he wasn't Chat right now and so he bit back his first instinct and went with his second.

"Ladybug?"

"I'm alright," she replied, coughing from the dust in the air and waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you?"

"Y-yeah. I'm okay." Adrien frowned, watching as his lady gingerly got to her feet. "Are you sure you're alright, Ladybug?"

She nodded emphatically.

"Yeah. Just sore and bruised. Nothing a Lucky Charm won't fix… as soon as we get out of here."

Ladybug cast her gaze around the room as she tried to push away the thoughts of how close she'd just been to Adrien. She'd been wrapped in his arms, laying on his chest. He'd pulled her out of harms way, even though he wasn't a superhero. His instinct had been to protect her rather than letting her do all the work. It was chivalrous and sweet and…

 _'Focus, Marinette,'_ she chided herself. _'There's an akuma attack going on. Hero, now. Spaz later.'_

This didn't look good at all. They were very effectively trapped. There was nothing around but the stone of the partially collapsed building and a dimly lit hallway ahead of them. The way they'd fallen into the building was completely blocked by rubble. It was honestly amazing neither of them had been seriously hurt in the destruction.

On the other side of the wall she could hear screams and the sound of the villain, who'd announced himself as the Purple Devil, laughing and calling for Ladybug and Chat Noir to come out.

Looking to Adrien, she caught his gaze and turned away quickly before he could see her blushing again. She had to stay professional. Marinette might be in love with Adrien, but Ladybug definitely wasn't. It was up to her to find a way out of this and get back out there to save Paris. There was no telling how long it would take Chat to show up and even if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold the Purple Devil by himself for long. In the few moments she'd fought him, Ladybug could tell this villain was at least as powerful as the Super Assistant had been, which was not a comforting trend at all.

Unbeknownst to her, the young model by her side was having similar emotional issues.

 _Though I've tried before to tell her  
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart_

Adrien swallowed hard, trying to make his brain focus on their admittedly bad situation, instead of admiring his lady. They were trapped and he couldn't transform to help her because of her own rules about not revealing their identities to each other. So, they needed to get out of here as fast as possible so he could stow "Adrien" somewhere safe while Chat Noir came out to play.

"This way," ladybug said, standing and moving in the only direction they could go.

The blonde hurried to follow, letting himself have a moment to admire her self-assurance with a proud smile she couldn't see.

 _Every time that I come near her  
I just lose my nerve  
As I've done from the start_

It wasn't a large building, but that simply made it that much more difficult to get out of apparently. The few windows they found were thickly covered by spiky purple vines that couldn't be pulled apart by hand.

Adrien knew if he'd been Chat Noir, it would have been child's play to use his Cataclysm to get out, but his lady was capable. He knew she wouldn't want him to reveal himself unless there was truly no other option, so he held his tongue a little bit longer.

Having assessed that there was no other way out of the building besides a vine-covered window or a vine-covered backdoor, Ladybug heaved a huge sigh.

"Well, I guess there's nothing else for it," she said, almost to herself as she pulled out her yo-yo.

 _Every little thing she does is magic  
Everything she do just turns me on  
Even though my life before was tragic  
Now I know my love for her goes on_

"Lucky Charm!"

An actual chainsaw fell into her hands and she almost dropped it, half in surprise and half from the weight of the thing. She starred for a moment before shrugging.

"That's a direct approach if I ever saw one. Still, first time for everything I guess."

The sounds of the villain shouting had faded into nothing quite a while ago and apparently the Ladybug Miraculous agreed that she needed to get a move on.

 _Do I have to tell the story  
Of a thousand rainy days since we first met_

Ladybug looked out the cleared window to see that the street was deserted. She caught Adrien starring at her as she looked back over her shoulder at him. He looked away quickly, touching the back of his neck as he cleared his throat. The superhero felt a blush rise in her cheeks and turned back to the window.

"It, it looks like the coast is clear," she said, trying to ignore the pool of warmth suddenly filling her chest. "Get home quickly and wait there until we've handled the situation."

"Right," the model replied.

Then, she hopped out the window and was gone, swinging her way down the street and out of sight.

 _It's a big enough umbrella  
But it's always me that ends up getting wet_

Adrien waited just long enough for Ladybug to be a safe distance away before he let his kwami out of his jacket.

"Plagg, claws out!"

 _Every little thing she does is magic  
Everything she do just turns me on  
Even though my life before was tragic  
Now I know my love for her goes on_

Chat Noir found the Purple Devil and did his best to distract and deter the villain from further destruction while he waited for Ladybug to appear. She would have had to let her kwami recharge after using her Lucky Charm to get them out of the building.

"You know, you're being a real prick," he called as he dodged a particularly spiky vine.

The villain hissed in irritation and another vine caught Chat in the stomach. He went flying… until something caught his ankle and he was dragged backwards. The cat found himself hanging upside down facing his lady.

"Would you like the good news or the bud news?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes.

"You're barely keeping from becoming mulch and you still have time for puns?"

He shrugged as she let him down and kept talking.

"I think the akuma is in that flower on his belt. Go left, I'll go right."

"Okay."

 _I resolved to call her up  
A thousand times a day.  
And ask her if she'll marry me  
In some old fashioned way_

The two-pronged attack failed disastrously as both superheroes were swatted away by the spiked vines, leaving them the worse for wear. Guerrilla tactics didn't seem to take him by surprise like they should have. The distract and attack plan failed just as badly and they both knew a frontal assault would end in such epic failure that they didn't even bother trying it.

 _But my silent fears have gripped me  
Long before I reach the phone  
Long before my tongue has tripped me  
Must I always be alone_

"Alright," Chat panted as they hid behind a chimney. "I give up. How do we beat this guy?"

Ladybug held up her yo-yo with a shrug.

"Lucky Charm!"

 _Every little thing she does is magic  
Everything she do just turns me on  
Even though my life before was tragic  
Now I know my love for her goes on_

A boomerang fell into her hands.

"Looks like it's time for our comeback."

Ladybug shot him a look and he grinned.

"So what's the plan?"

She looked around, her frown deepening as she shook her head.

"I don't see anything just yet."

Slipping the boomerang onto her hip`, she looked around once more and pointed.

"Let's see if we can't lure him toward the Eiffel Tower. If nothing else, there'll be more space to fight him in."

"As my lady wishes."

Chat vaulted off and Ladybug followed. The hard part of luring the villain anywhere was that he was so fast they were mostly trying not to get caught by the deadly vines whipping through the air around them.

As they reached the river, Ladybug suddenly grinned.

"Got it. Chat! How far will your Cataclysm go?"

"As far as I want it to, I expect," he called back, rolling and leaping out of the way of several vines that had gotten far too close. "Can't say I've ever tested it. Why?"

"See the floats?"

The Halloween parade was set to begin and end at the Eiffel Tower and the floats were being organized under it. One of them sported huge papier-mâché sea monsters, one of which was almost nothing except a huge open mouth with equally large teeth inside of it. It looked like a dome tipped on its side. It wouldn't hold for long but if they timed it right…

"We need to lure him to the sea monster float and you need to get as close as you can to him. Then, when I tell you, use your Cataclysm on the vines and push it as long and far as you can. I need them out of my way so I can reach the Purple Devil."

"Got it."

"Let's go!"

 _Every little thing she does is magic  
Everything she do just turns me on  
Even though my life before was tragic  
Now I know my love for her goes on_

Energy waning fast, they lured the Purple Devil closer and closer to their target until he obliged them by hopping from float to float, laughing and taunting them. As he landed on the sea monster float, Ladybug shouted.

"Now!"

She threw the boomerang with all her strength and it hit the base of the large-mouthed monster, cracking it so that as she flew forward, one good kick sent it toppling over onto the Purple Devil. Vines wrapped around her, pinning her to the base of the float. Then she heard Chat shout.

"Cataclysm!"

The vines turned black and she burst out of them, even as the villain finished tearing the papier-mâché monster to pieces and turned on her. Ladybug threw herself forward, tackling the Purple Devil as she ripped the flower from his belt and crushed it in her fist.

 _Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah  
Every little thing_

A little black butterfly escaped her fist and Chat slumped against the side of the parade float as he watched her purify the butterfly and release it once more to the sky.

 _Every little thing  
Every little thing  
Every little thing_

Ladybug grabbed up the discarded boomerang and threw it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

 _She do is  
Magic, magic, magic  
Magic, magic, magic  
Hey oh yo oh_

The bluenette looked to her partner, neither fo them smiling.

"That… was too close," she said quietly.

"I agree," her partner replied with a nod.

She sighed.

"We're not going to be able to keep this up if they keep getting more powerful. I think… tomorrow, I'm going to go talk to someone who might be able to help us."

"Should I come too?"

She shook her head.

"No. The fewer people who know where I'm going the better."

Chat shrugged, not overly pleased with this response, but willing to accept it. Ladybug jumped down to where her partner was.

"Chat, I'm sorry. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone about him or where he is. I've only been there once myself, but I'd be breaking my promise if I took you along."

Her partner nodded again and looked up at her with a tired smile.

"I understand, m'lady."

He plucked her hand up before she could think to stop him and gave the back of it a quick kiss as his ring and her earrings beeped urgently at them.

"Til next time then, and I'll hope for good news."

She returned his smile as she retrieved her hand and he watched her swing away, feeling the familiar, painful twist of his heart.

 _Thousand rainy days since we first met  
It's a big enough umbrella  
But it's always me that ends getting wet_

X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X

A/N: Thus begins the new-new chapters. From now on updates will be slower in coming, but I am still writing. :)

Yes, "Purple Devil" IS an actual plant (research ftw!). It's a relative of Nightshade.

The song is "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" by The Police.

Till next chapter, guys! Let me know what you thought of my Ladrien attempts! :)


	14. So Close

Chapter 13: So Close

"Marinette! Yo! Earth to Marinette!"

The bluenette jumped and whirled around, sending flour cascading around the kitchen in a swirling cloud.

"Wha- what? Oh no."

Alya put a hand on her hip and shook her head as her friend began to wipe up the mess she'd made.

"Where is your head, space cadet?"

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked as Alya grabbed a rag and began helping her.

"I mean, the party is in an hour. What are you doing down here baking? Did you forget I was supposed to come over so we could get ready together?"

The little baker paused and her shoulders slumped. She had forgotten, actually. Between the jealousy over Lila that she was doing her best to keep to keep a lock on and her worries over the akumas getting more powerful and trying to figure out when she'd be able to go see Master Fu tomorrow, the bluenette had completely forgotten about Adrien's Halloween party.

"I'm so sorry, Alya," she said sincerely. "I had other things on my mind. I completely forgot."

The redhead looked at her knowingly, and a bit sympathetically.

"Worrying about that Lila girl?"

Marinette shrugged and Alya gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Don't. It was obvious that Adrien wasn't into her. Besides, he's got better taste than that."

Marinette gave her friend a small smile.

"You think so?"

"I know so," Alya replied with total authority.

The baker's smile widened a bit.

"Thanks, Alya. You're right. I won't worry about her. And thanks for helping me clean up."

The blogger laughed.

"What are friends for, if not helping you clean up the messes you make?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The party was in full swing and, as far as Adrien could tell, everyone seemed to be having a great time. Everyone except him, that was.

If it wasn't Chloe dragging him on to the dance floor and hanging on him, it was Lila. It was as though they were in some sort of competition to see who could hang on and flirt with him the most and he wasn't sure who was worse.

"Adrikins~ I'm _so_ glad you had the sense to invite me. I don't know what I would have done if I'd missed the party of the year and a chance to see _you_."

Chloe batted her eyelashes as she leaned into him. Adrien did his best to keep his fixed smile from turning into a grimace. The blonde girl was dressed as a female and far-too-scantily clad version of Jagged Stone.

"How could I forget to invite you of all people?" Adrien replied, looking around in the vain hope of rescue as he leaned away.

"Oh, Adrikins!" She gushed. "Come on, let's-"

"Adrien," came a voice to his right as that arm was claimed.

The blonde boy suppressed a groan and turned his very fixed smile to Lila, who was dressed as a black cat. Much as he was a fan of cats, she was making him dislike them tonight.

"Hey, Lila. Having fun?"

She pouted in what he was sure she thought was a flirtatious way.

"I'd be having more fun if I had _someone_ to talk to."

"I thought you liked Pierre. I invited him because you've worked together so well in the past."

Her pout intensified as she hugged his arm even closer.

"Oh, I don't want to talk about _work_. That's no fun at all!"

"Well-"

Chloe attempted to tug him away from Lila.

"Excuse you. I was talking to Adrikins, miss pushy."

Lila turned her eyes to the blonde and the two girls locked gazes. Adrien felt the electric hatred sparking between them and pulled away while they were both distracted, muttering something about seeing to his other guests and losing himself in the crowd as fast as humanly possible. He heard Chloe shouting after him and walked faster, nearly running to where Nino stood to one side of the room.

"Hide me," he hissed as he ducked behind the boy who was dressed like a wolf.

Nino chuckled.

"Gettin' too much love from the ladies?"

"Don't look at me! They'll notice!" Adrien stage-whispered, hunching even lower.

The other boy looked away from his friend and scanned the huge room. Yep, there they were. Both Chloe and Lila were clearly searching the crowd for Adrien and getting frustrated by not being able to spot him. Then he looked to the grand stairs that led into the room.

"Geez, finally!" the wolf-boy exclaimed.

"What?"

"Alya and Marinette made it," he elaborated, nodding to the stairs.

Adrien turned. Alya was dressed as a sexy little red riding hood to match Nino's wolf, but Marinette… Marinette! His breath caught in his throat. For a moment, everything else seemed to fade away as he starred.

She was beautiful. She wore a black ballgown covered in tiny, shimmering golden stars. Her hair was floating freely around her shoulders with matching golden stars pinning back the barest bit from her face. Her big blue eyes were darkened and shadowed, making them all the more stunning in her lovely face with a few little golden stars drawn to the side of her left eye.

Nino laughed, breaking the spell and the music and noise of the room came rushing back to Adrien, who glanced down at his own costume with suspicion. His friend had convinced him to dress in a sky blue suit. The jacket was long and his shirt and shoes were white while he'd allowed a gold sun to be drawn around his left eye.

"Nino…" he began.

"Yeah?" The other boy asked, looking far too innocent.

Adrien narrowed his eyes.

"Did Alya put you up to something?"

Nino laughed nervously.

"Don't know what you're talking about, dude. Alya!"

He waved to get his girlfriend's attention and Adrien looked back to where the girls were descending the stairs. Marinette seemed to be struggling with her skirts and the blonde did his best not to laugh at the adorable face she was making as she concentrated on feet she couldn't see. He moved with Nino toward the stairs. They reached the bottom while the girls were still a few steps up.

"Hey!" Alya greeted them with a grin.

Marinette's head came up two steps short of the bottom and she lost her concentration, catching a foot in her skirts and tumbling forward. Adrien jumped up and as she collided with his chest he wrapped his arms around her protectively, steadying them both.

He gave them both a moment before he pulled away enough to look down her with a happy smile. She looked up at him, face flushed and eyes wide.

"You okay?"

"Ye-yeah. Thank you."

 _You're in my arms  
And all the world is calm_

"You look beautiful," he said so quietly only she could have heard and he had the satisfaction of seeing her face flush a bit darker.

He knew he shouldn't let himself look at her like this or compliment her that way, because he was in love with Ladybug. He shouldn't be thinking this way, wanting to do nothing more than continue standing right there on the stairs, holding her, but he found that he couldn't make himself let go or stop marveling at how she seemed to utterly outshine every other girl in the room.

Marinette ducked her head, clearly embarrassed, and Adrien forced his arms to relax and release her.

"Looks like Alya and Nino thought we should come matching tonight."

"Wha-what? What do you mean?" Marinette asked, looking up again and seeming to focus on his costume, obviously for the first time.

Adrien chuckled.

"Well, I'm the day sky and you're clearly the night. I thought Nino was just trying to give me an easy costume idea, but, well…"

He shrugged and trailed off, gesturing to her dress. Marinette glanced down at herself, as though she'd forgotten what she was wearing, looked back at his costume, and then glared accusingly over at Alya. The redhead caught her friend's glare and gave a huge grin and a thumbs up before she grabbed a shrugging Nino and disappeared onto the dance floor.

"Adrikins!"

Adrien flinched at the sound of Chloe's voice, calling from across the room, and looked back to Marinette.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, holding out a hand to her with a smile.

Marinette felt her face heat again and she swallowed hard, just managing to nod in acceptance as she took the offered hand. Adrien led her out onto the dance floor as a slow song began and the bluenette had a flash of memory to the last time she'd danced with a boy. It had been on the top of the Eiffel Tower and that boy had been wearing cat ears and a mask.

She hoped he wasn't out patrolling by himself tonight. She found more and more that she hated to think of him lonely and alone.

With a jolt, Marinette realized she was thinking about Chat Noir while she was about to dance with her crush. What in the world was wrong with her? She gave herself a mental shake and grinned shyly up at Adrien, who smiled back down at her.

 _The music playing on for only two  
So close together_

Adrien put her left hand on his shoulder and took her right as his right touched her waist. He led gently and, even though he went slowly, Marinette stumbled several times, wincing at her own clumsiness and muttering apologies. After the third stumble, Adrien brought them to a halt.

"S-sorry," she mumbled, feeling as though she might die from embarassment. "I'm so clumsy and these stupid skirts keep tripping me and... I'm sorry."

The model was smiling gently at her again, even though she coudln't see it.

"You aren't clumsy," he told her firmly and she looked up in surprise. "You're actually really graceful, you're just self-conscious."

Marinette gave him a disbelieving look.

"If, if you... say so."

 _And when I'm with you  
So close to feeling alive_

"I do say so! I've seen you bake, Marinette. You dance every time."

Her look clearly doubted his assessment.

"Hey, try something for me?" He asked. "Close your eyes."

"I'll trip for sure then!"

"No you won't," he assured her gently. "I won't let you fall. Trust me."

She looked up into his face for a long moment before straightening, her whole being seeming to steel itself and resolutely closed her eyes. Adrien couldn't help the huge smile that stretched across his face. She was adorable when she was determined.

Beginning slowly, he led her through the steps. As she seemed to gain confidence in his lead, he brought them up to speed and then, with a mischievous grin his partner couldn't see, began to make his steps more elaborate, sending them gracefully through swirling turns that sent her skirts spinning around her.

Try as he might though, he couldn't shake the memory of the last time he'd danced with a girl as it dogged every step he took. That girl had been in red.

And the memory brought a flood of emotions that twisted his stomach. He kept telling himself that he couldn't keep doing this. He couldn't keep letting his heart wander between Marinette and Ladybug. That wasn't fair to either girl, even if neither of them ever returned his affections. If he couldn't make a choice and stick with it, he didn't deserve either of them.

 _A life goes by  
Romantic dreams must die  
So I bid my goodbye  
And never knew_

Watching the smile that was slowly growing on Marinette's face even as her eyes remained closed, he felt his heart ache at the idea of keeping her at arms length. Could he really give up this sweet, wonderful girl who had chosen to become his friend without a second thought? Could he give up this girl who had a magic all her own? Who had taken in a stray cat on a rainy day without question, just because she didn't want him to be alone? Who was smart and thoughtful and kind? Who spread warmth wherever she went?

He wasn't sure he could give her up after he'd had a taste of what being near her was like.

But… could he give up his love for Ladybug then?

 _So close, was waiting  
Waiting here with you  
And now, forever, I know_

Ladybug was amazing. She was confident and cool under pressure. She was smart and brave. She was funny and kind. And he was getting to know her better and better now that they were talking about more than patrols and akumas.

But…

Had his love of her actually been love? Or was it hero worship?

She didn't see him as anything other than her partner and friend. He knew that, but that wasn't the point. Love was love, even if it was unrequited.

The point was, he had to make up his mind. Did he hold to what he believed to be love for Ladybug or did he chose to bask in the warmth of the sweet little baker?

They were both amazing. They were both his friends.

But Ladybug was his partner and Marinette was... his safe place.

The thought hit him like a ton of bricks. That was it. That was the real difference. He knew, without a doubt, that Marinette would be the person he'd always run to, now that she was in his life and the thought of not having her there... he couldn't imagine it any longer.

 _All that I wanted  
To hold you so close  
So close to reaching  
That famous happy end_

Marinette hesitantly cracked an eye open to look up at Adrien and was so distracted by the sweet, almost sad smile on his face that it took her a full turn around the dance floor before her brain kicked in and made her feet tangle in her skirts. She stumbled and her partner, without missing a beat, caught her up against his firm chest and spun them right off the dance floor.

He relaxed his hold on her enough that she was able to use his arms to steady herself while she untangled her foot from her dress. When she finally looked back up at him, she realized he was laughing quietly.

"You were doing so well! Why did you open your eyes?" He mock-chided with a grin. "Lose faith in me that fast?"

 _Almost believing  
This one's not pretend  
And now you're beside me  
And look how far we've come  
So far we are, so close_

"N-no! No!" She rushed to assure him before she realized he was teasing her. She sighed and gave him a rueful smile, laughing a bit at herself as she did. "Sorry. I, I overestimated myself, I guess."

She looked down, blushing, and realized his arms were still around her, as comfortably as if they were always meant to be there. And he wasn't making any sort of move to pull away.

 _Oh how could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?_

No, Adrien realized as he watched her duck her head, but not pull away. He couldn't give up Marinette. He knew he'd hate himself for the rest of his life if he gave up on this warmth, this sweetness, this beautiful, wonderful girl who had made his life so much brighter for her mere presence in it.

"Adrien!"

He looked to his left to discover that Lila had finally tracked him down again. But he didn't let go of Marinette.

"Are you having fun, Lila?" He asked in his most pleasant voice, his model smile returning in full force for her.

He watched her calculating gaze take in his arms around Marinette and the blush on the bluenette's face. Then she looked back up at him, ignoring his question, and pulled on his arm as she leaned in.

"I need a break from this crowd and your father said you could give me a tour of the house."

"There is a quieter room just through that door over there," he told her, nodding in the proper direction. "If you're needing a break from all the people."

"Yes, but I'd really perfer a tour of the house before I get too tired to properly enjoy it," she insisted.

Adrien glanced around the room, hoping to find some stroke of genius that would put Lila off a bit longer. Instead, he met his father's steely gaze from across the room and knew immediately that he had no choice but to take Lila on a tour of the house, the party be damned. When had his father even shown up?

 _We're so close to reaching  
That famous happy end_

Suppressing a sigh, Adrien looked back to Marinette, loosening his hold on her as he did so. She stepped back, clearly uncomfortable now.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "She _is_ the guest of honor, after all."

"O-of course! Of course!" Marinette said, waving her hands as though to brush the whole matter away. "No, no problem at all. Um, thanks, thanks for the, the dance. Um, I should, should go find Alya and Nino, uh, have fun!"

The little baker spun away hastily, her skirts swirling gracefully around her, even as she stumbled slightly. Adrien heard Lila snicker as Marinette hurried away, but before he could say anything, the Italian beauty was pulling him in the other direction.

 _Almost believing  
This one's not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming  
For we know we are_

Adrien glanced back as he was dragged away and caught one last fleeting look of the beautiful girl who he knew, now, he was irrevocably, undeniably in love with.

 _So close, so close  
And still so far_

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A/N: Ugh. Even my own brain is screaming "someone save the cinnamon bun! Anyone!" Lol. But don't worry. We'll get rid of Lila eventually. I LOVED writing this chapter. I'm a sucker for the ball-gown-and-dancing troupe. :)

The song is "So Close" by John McLaughlin.


	15. Whatever Lila Wants

Chapter 14: Whatever Lila Wants

 _Lola wants you_

As Adrien led Lila through the hallways, pointing out different works of art by famous artists and interesting structural points of the mansion, he could hear the music and voices from the party blending below them into a dull roar of white noise.

"So," Lila interrupted him in the middle of pointing out another painting. "Where's _your_ room?"

Adrien blinked at the sudden change of topic, but, determined to remain polite, kept his smile fixed and replied.

"No where close to here. It's not part of the tour."

She hummed thoughtfully, giving him a coy smile as she leaned toward him and pretended to straighten the lapels of his jacket.

"Are you sure it couldn't be part of _my_ tour?"

Gently, but firmly, he removed her hands, his smile a bit more forced now.

"No. Now, as I was saying…"

He turned back to the painting and finished his explanation, not seeing the dark, calculating look the beautiful Italian girl was giving him.

 _What ever Lola wants  
Lola gets  
And little man  
Little Lola wants you_

Lila wasn't stupid. She knew he had feelings for that plain little hussy he'd been dancing with. She'd seen the looks Adrien had sent the girl when he thought no one was looking. She'd seen the matching outfits tonight and the way he'd kept holding her even after they'd left he dance floor.

But Adrien would be hers.

She'd never had so much trouble seducing a boy before and this one was being incredibly obtuse about the whole situation.

Well, she told herself with a smirk, she'd just have to make him see reason, one way or another.

 _Make up your mind to have  
No regrets  
Recline yourself  
Resign yourself  
You're through_

"Did you know," Lila said, completely ignoring the fact that she'd interrupted Adrien mid-sentence again. "I saw Ladybug and Chat Noir today."

The blonde blinked at her for a moment, wondering where she was going with this.

"Oh, yeah?"

She grinned, sensing she had his full attention.

 _I always get what I aim for  
And your heart and soul is what I came for_

"Yeah. I saved Ladybug's life. Chat Noir kept thanking me, but I insisted it was no big deal. After all, anyone would have done the same right?"

Adrien starred at her, trying to figure out where exactly she was going with this. Trying to impress him? Because he knew for a fact that Chat Noir, at least, had never met Lila, much less thanked her for saving Ladybug's life.

"Really?" he replied in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

"Oh yeah," the girl said with a smile. "Chat Noir even tried flirting with me, right there in front of Ladybug!"

"Did he really?" Adrien asked, eyebrows raising.

He was trying his best to not say something to give away his alter-ego. Chat Noir never would have flirted with her! Was she trying to make him jealous?

 _What ever Lola wants  
Lola gets  
Take off your coat  
Don't you know you can't win_

"Yeah," she replied, flipping her hair carelessly over one shoulder. "But my interests lie… _elsewhere_."

"Yeah?" replied the model, feigning ignorance and hoping against hope. "With Pierre?"

"Oh, Adrien," Lila purred as she turned to him, suddenly far too close. "Don't fight this."

"Wha-What?" Adrien stammered, taking a step back. "Don't fight what exactly?"

 _You're no exception to the rule  
I'm irresistible you fool  
Give in_

"Us, of course," she replied with a coy smile.

"What 'us'?" Demanded the boy, completely baffled.

Sure, she'd been making flirty advances toward him the entire time she'd been in the country, but he certainly hadn't reciprocated any of it. If anything, he'd done his best to put her off and make it clear he wasn't interested, as politely as he could.

 _Make up your mind to have  
No regrets  
Recline yourself  
Resign yourself  
You're through_

"Hasn't your father told you?" She replied with an amused smile. "Why, Adrien, we're as good as engaged."

"What?" Adrien nearly choked on the word as it came out.

 _I always get what I aim for  
And your heart and soul is what I came for_

"Oh, my. I can't believe he hasn't told you yet."

She laughed lightly and the sound was like nails on a chalkboard to his ears. Adrien gritted his teeth.

It wasn't true. She had to be lying. Surely his father wouldn't have agreed to an engagement between them without at least saying something to his son about it first… right?

Suddenly, with a sickening dread that knocked the air from his lungs, he realized he _didn't_ know. He had no idea. For all he knew, his father very well could have done exactly that; engaged him to a girl he barely knew and could hardly stand to be around.

The dread curdled in his stomach, sending a wave of nausea through him so strong he was surprised he kept his feet under him.

 _What ever Lola wants  
Lola gets  
Take off your coat  
Don't you know you can't win_

The girl had leaned in closer now, her hands running down his chest.

"So, you see," she said in a low, sultry voice. "There really is no point in you fighting us being together, Adrien. We were meant to be. The son of a fashion tycoon and the daughter of the biggest producer of your father's lines. What could be more perfect?"

Adrien couldn't breath.

 _You're no exception to the rule  
I'm irresistible you fool  
Give in  
Give in  
Give in_

Lila pushed Adrien, making him stumble a few steps until his back hit the wall. Before he could right himself, she was there, pressing herself flush against him and leaning in as though she would kiss him. He caught her waist, instinctively trying to hold her back.

Then, there was a gasp, and they both looked up to see Marinette starring, wide-eyed at the scene before her.

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A/N: OMG I HATE MYSELF! I've also known since the beginning of the story that we would end up here but OMG I HATE MYSELF. MY POOR BABIES! ::bangs head against the wall::

So… remember that 'Drama' I mentioned in the story description? Well, get ready for it kids, cause it's coming at you full force for a while now. Enjoy the ride and have my assurances, I will right my transgressions… eventually. Lol.

Oh and the song is "Whatever Lola Wants" by Carmen McRae, though there are plenty of versions of it. :)

I love hearing from you guys! Till next chapter!


	16. Tin Man

Chapter 15: Tin Man

"Marinette," she heard Adrien whisper, his shock evident.

Of course. She'd interrupted something private. Heat rose in her cheeks and she waved her hands in front of her as she began backing away, talking so fast she wasn't sure what she was saying.

"S-sorry! Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean, I mean I was lost, I mean I was looking, um I mean wondering where, looking for the restroom and, lost, I'm lost, looking for it. I-I-I'll just, I'm just, yeah so I'll be um yeah!"

She ducked back around the corner she'd turned a moment before and fled, tripping several times on her skirt as she did and nearly knocking over two different statues and a large vase. Vaguely, she thought she heard Adrien calling after her, but she didn't stop and he didn't follow.

She couldn't believe what she'd just walked in on. Her heart was twisting painfully in her chest.

Of course. Of course he was with _her_. Why had she let Alya convince her that there hadn't been anything between Adrien and that girl? But of course there was something between them. Why else would Adrein have been escorting her all over Paris? Why else would he have thrown a party for her as the guest of honor?

She had thought that Adrien liked her. Maybe he didn't love her, but she'd thought... someday... maybe... she shook her head as her heart gave another painful twinge.

Clearly she'd thought wrong. She felt so stupid!

Marinette was so distracted by her own thoughts, she hardly realized that her feet had taken her back to the party until someone stepped right into her path and she nearly ran into them. Looking up, she found Nathaniel there, looking hopeful.

"M-Marinette? Would you like to dance?"

"D... dance?" She repeated stupidly.

It was a long moment before the little baker was able to shift the gears of her brain away from Adrien and Lila and comprehend what the boy in front of her had asked. So long, in fact, that Nathaniel began to look nervous rather than hopeful.

"If, if you don't want to... I mean, I understand, I-"

"Um, no, no it's not that I don't want to, Nathaniel, but maybe later? I... I'm not feeling so well right now. I think, I think I need to go sit down for a bit."

"Oh, okay," he said. "Would you like me to walk you over there?"

"Oh, no, no!" She assured him. "It's okay. I'm not feeling faint, just... queazy. I'm sure I'll be alright in a bit. Thank you."

"Okay, I'll come check on you later?"

"Sure," she agreed with the best smile she could muster.

The redhead walked away and Marinette hurried to the other side of the room, where there were indeed chairs lined up for the people who needed a break from dancing or standing. She sat for several minutes, unable to stop the memory replaying over and over again in her mind. Adrien leaning against the wall with his arms around her waist and Lila pressed up against him, leaning in for a kiss…

Over and over and over again and she felt sicker every time.

"Hey. You."

Marinette jumped and looked up to find that very girl standing right in front of her. The girl she couldn't stop picturing pressed up against Adrien...

Swallowing hard, the little baker looked around, sure Lila had meant someone besides her, and then, seeing no one, pointed to herself.

"M-me?"

The other girl rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, you. See anyone else I could be talking to? I just thought you should know, Adrien is mine, so I hope you weren't getting any ideas in your head about him falling in love with… _you_."

Lila looked Marinette up and down once, seeming to find her lacking. Marinette scowled at the implied insult, and stood.

"'Adrien is yours'?" She repeated, crossing her arms with as much defiance as she could muster, though inwardly she quailed at the other girl's confident tone. "Says who?"

The Italian girl laughed.

"Our fathers, of course. It's been arranged for quite some time."

"Adrien's never said anything to me about it," Marinette said, her bluffed confidence fading fast.

"And why would he have told you?" Lila scoffed. "It's not as though it's something we've been advertising. He has to keep up appearance, after all. Mr. Agreste thinks Adrien will market better as unattached until the official announcement is made."

"Well, if it's not official then…"

Lila rolled her eyes again.

"Are you serious? It's only the announcement that hasn't been officially made. Everything else is signed and sealed.

The girl crossed her arms with a confident smirk.

"It's the perfect match, you know. His father is a fashion tycoon and mine is one of the largest producers of the Agreste lines. What could be more natural than for he and I to be together?"

Her stance changed then, the smirk falling away as she shrugged.

"But, of course, you can do as you please. I'm just trying to give you a friendly warning not to get your hopes up about Adrien. I know you're a friend of his and I'd hate to see you ruin your friendship over this. Well, enjoy the rest of the party."

With a wave over her shoulder, Lila disappeared back into the crowd leaving Marinette staring after her, feeling as though she'd just been slapped. Her lungs didn't seem able to take in enough air and her hands began to shake as her eyes started to burn. Swallowing hard, Marinette turned and headed purposely for the door.

Adrien... was engaged.

Adrein was engaged... to _Lila_.

How... how had she never known?

As her foot touched the pavement outside, the shock seemed to fall away from her, leaving her with nothing but the brutal truth of Lila's words that seemed to echo in her ears.

 _'Adrien is mine.'_

 _'It's the perfect match, you know.'_

She took a breath that ripped from her throat as a sob and, her vision beginning to blur, she grabbed up her skirts and ran.

 _Hey there, Mr. Tin Man  
You don't know how lucky you are_

The night wind whipped past her as she sped away from the mansion and down the street, tears beginning to escape.

She'd been deluding herself this whole time. There wasn't anything special about his smiles when they were directed at her. He wasn't intending to make her fall in love when he looked into her eyes. He'd never been trying to flirt with her. It had all been her stupid, one-sided crush.

 _'Adrien is mine.'_

He didn't think of her as anything more than a friend. That's why he hadn't come after her. A friend would have understood finding him alone like that with a girl, right?

A friend. She was just a friend.

She felt so stupid!

 _You shouldn't spend your whole life wishin'  
For something bound to fall apart_

"Marinette?" Came Tikki's concerned voice in her ear.

She didn't respond. She could barely breath. Air came in ragged gasps, filling her lungs too much and too little all at once.

It had all been in her head.

 _'Adrien is mine.'_

And she kept running.

 _Every time you're feeling empty  
Better thank your lucky stars  
If you ever felt one breaking  
You'd never want a heart_

She fled; fled from the pain in her heart, fled from the embarrassment of her own stupid feelings for a boy she couldn't have, fled from the memory of him pressed up against another girl.

She fled from the memory of that lovely, perfect dance they'd shared not two hours ago and the feeling of his arms around her waist as he led her gracefully around the dance floor.

She fled from remembering those beautiful smiles he'd given her and the perfect times they'd spent together.

She fled from the heart in her chest that felt as though it had been ripped in two.

 _Hey there, Mr. Tin Man  
You don't know how lucky you are_

"Marinette!" She heard her kwami call, sounding upset.

But she couldn't respond.

 _I've been on the road that you're on  
It didn't get me very far_

Somehow, she fumbled the bakery door open, not sure how she'd even gotten back home. She only found a single light switch as she passed them and braced herself against one of the metal countertops. She watched her hands shaking in the dim light. No, she realized, her whole body was shaking and she coudn't see.

She couldn't breath.

 _'It's the perfect match, you know.'_

 _You ain't missing nothing  
'Cause love is so damn hard_

She was sobbing, her breath rasping hysterically in her lungs as she sank to the floor.

She was so stupid!

 _Take it from me, darling  
You don't want a heart_

She'd known the moment they met that he was miles out of her league. She'd known he'd probably never feel the same way. She'd known there was nothing she could do about it.

She'd let Alya and Tikki and then her own, stupid hopefulness convince her that she stood a chance, that someone as perfect and wonderful as Adrien Agreste could look at her and love her.

She'd thought… thought that maybe, just maybe, someday…

A fresh wave of tears came and she curled into herself, burying her face in the skirts that pooled around her.

 _Hey there, Mr. Tin Man  
I'm glad we talked this out  
You can take mine if you want it  
It's in pieces now_

"Oh, Marinette," her kwami said quietly in her ear as she cuddled up to the girl, knowing there was nothing but her presence that might help comfort her Chosen right now.

 _By the way there, Mr. Tin Man  
If you don't mind the scars  
You give me your armor  
And you can have my heart_

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A/N: Another short chapter, but there will be longer ones coming up. I was originally going to use "I'm Not That Girl" from Wicked, but this one seemed to fit better. It's "Tin Man" by Miranda Lambert.

Always love hearing from you guys!

Till next chapter!


	17. Numb

Chapter 16: Numb

"Marinette!"

The little baker disappeared back the way she'd come and Adrien glared down at Lila, pushing her away.

"Adrien," she said, grabbing his arm. "Don't bother. Everyone was going to know eventually, even her."

He shook her off, not knowing what he was going to say to Marinette, but certain he needed to catch her and say something. Anything. He just knew he couldn't leave her to jump to her own conclusions.

The model took two steps after Marinette and away from Lila when...

"Adrien!"

The blonde whipped around to see his father coming down the hall from the other direction, looking as displeased as ever.

"I'm sorry, Father, I have to-"

"What you 'have to' do, is finish giving Miss Rossi the tour, as she requested of you."

Adrien stopped. He turned to fully face his father and looked closely at the man who dictated every minute of every day of his life and felt something stir inside. For so long, he'd let numbness blanket every emotion he associated with this man, for the sole purpose of getting through each day. He'd bottled away the anger and resentment day after day, year after year, and now, something in him was twisting and bending, threatening to snap.

Maybe it was the feeling of absolute betrayal, hearing about an engagement he didn't want to a girl he didn't like. Maybe it was the look on Marinette's face when she'd hurried away. Maybe it was the idea of the girl he loved thinking he was interested in someone else.

Whatever it was, Adrien Agreste looked at his father, his face darkening, and said something he hadn't said to the other man in years.

"No."

 _I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface_

Gabriel, who had begun turning to Lila to say something, paused, and looked slowly back to his son.

"What was that?"

Adrien drew himself up to his full height, his glare increasing.

"No. I'm not going to finish giving her the tour. If you want her to see the house so badly, you do it. I'm going after Marinette."

The boy turned away, but hadn't taken more than three steps when his father's voice cracked like a whip through the air between them.

"Adrien!"

He paused and glared over his shoulder.

"My office. Now."

Gabriel Agreste turned on his heel and Adrien balled his hands into fists, glaring after him. For a long moment, he hesitated, torn between wanting to go after Marinette, obeying an order as had been drilled into him for years, and the desire to finally, _finally_ have it out with his father.

With one more glance over his shoulder in the direction that Marinette had gone, Adrien followed after his father. He'd go after Marinette as soon as he finished with his father.

 _I don't know what you're expecting of me  
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes_

As the door closed behind Adrien, his father rounded on him.

"How dare you disobey me in front of company! What are you playing at?"

Adrien met the older man's gaze defiantly.

"I'm not playing at anything. I've just decided I'm not going to let you dictate every moment of my life anymore."

Gabriel pulled back.

"Don't be ridiculous, Adrien. Everything I decide for you is what is best for your future."

 _Caught in the undertow  
Just caught in the undertow_

"And what future is that?" Adrien demanded. "The future where your dutiful son stands by your side 'yes sir'ing until you decide that you want to retire and the son takes over your fashion empire and runs it just like you would? Have you even considered that that isn't the future I want? Has it ever occurred to you that I might not want to be in fashion at all?"

Part of him wanted desperately to take back the words the moment they left his mouth, but he swallowed hard and refused to back down. He had to get it all out before he broke himself trying to be something he didn't want to be.

 _Every step that I take is another mistake to you  
Caught in the undertow  
Just caught in the undertow_

Gabriel's eyes narrowed and he looked down at his son with something akin to distain. Adrien's jaw tightened and he raised his head defiantly. The deadly silence stretched between them for one of the longest minutes of Adrien's life until, at last, his father spoke.

"You can't know what you want. You're a child."

Anger rushed through his veins, hot and violent, and he felt heat rise in his face.

"No," he bit out. "I haven't been a child since mom died, because you've never treated me like one. It's always more lessons, more photoshoots, more interviews, more being dragged around after you like some faithful lapdog. You've never acted like my father. You've acted like an overseer. The only times you deign to grace me with your presence is when you think I'm going to screw something up or when I already have! I don't even remember the last _actual_ conversation we had! It's always you giving orders and stalking away like I'm a servant who's just supposed to obey you without question."

 _I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
Become so tired, so much more aware  
By becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

Gabriel folded his hands behind his back, that look of cold near-distain still fixed on his face.

"Is that what you think? Very well, then do tell me, what exactly do you believe our relationship should be? Should I let you go galavanting around the city, unprotected, so you can be kidnapped? I have enemies, Adrien, and some of them wouldn't hesitate to go after me through you. Should I have let you go to school, where you would have been subjected to a subpar education that would have done nothing but hold you back? Should I not be trying to hone the skills of the natural successor to my company? I take you to work with me so that we can spend time together, because I am a very busy man. Of course I expect you to take an interest in the work that puts food on the table and a roof over your head. Do you truly believe that's so unreasonable of me?"

Adrien shook his head.

"Of, of course not. But—"

"Exactly. How dare you stand there and tell me that I'm the one in the wrong? Your mother was the one who did all the fun things with you because she understood how important my work is."

For a moment, Adrien was at a loss for words, blindsided by how quickly his father had twisted his words around on him, and the elder, sensing that he'd scored his point, went on.

"If that is all, please return to Miss Rossi."

Gabriel turned away toward the high window and Adrien's jaw clenched.

"No! That is not all!" He yelled at the man's back.

 _Can't you see that you're smothering me?  
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control  
'Cause everything that you thought I would be  
Has fallen apart right in front of you_

He had to make his father understand. Somehow. He went for a different approach, trying to sound reasonable.

"Do you care at all that I have no interest in your business? Do you really want someone who doesn't want the job to take over after you?"

Gabriel looked cooly over at his irate son.

"You can't know what you want," he said again.

"Of course I don't know what I want!" Adrien snapped, his irritation getting the better of him. "You've never given me the chance to find out! How do you know I wouldn't be better off as a cook or a painter or, or a teacher!"

His father scoffed.

"As if my son would be anything so mundane as a cook or teacher. Do you have any idea how many people in this world would kill to have the opportunities you've been born into? Do you know how many people apply to be interns in my company for the mere chance that they might see me at work even once while you are gifted with weekly visits there, specifically to shadow me?"

Adrien wanted to scream. He was talking in circles like this. Couldn't his father understand? Didn't he see what he was doing?

 _Caught in the undertow  
Just caught in the undertow  
Every step that I take is another mistake to you_

"Father," he said, mastering his temper. "You aren't hearing me. I know perfectly well what a great opportunity it would be, if I wanted to be in the industry, but I _don't_. I want to do something with my life other than fashion and I want the freedom to find out what it is I want for my life. I'm done with you dictating where I go, what I do… and who I'm going to marry?"

The last came out as a disbelieving question. Gabriel turned slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you really engage me to Lila without even telling me?" Adrien asked, his throat going dry.

The man turned to face his son and gave him a long, cool look.

"The offer was made by Monsieur Rossi."

Adrien felt his heart stutter in his chest.

 _Caught in the undertow  
Just caught in the undertow  
And every second I waste is more than I can take!_

"What did you tell him?" Adrien asked, his voice suddenly very, very quiet.

"I agreed, of course."

"What?" Adrien felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. "Why would you do that without even talking to me? Why did I have to find out from Lila instead of my own father? And what gives you the right to agree to it in the first place?"

"You're my son. I've always done what's best for your future and if I see that marrying Miss Rossi is the best thing for your future, then I will certainly make arrangements to that effect."

"But I don't love her. I don't even like her!"

Gabriel arched one perfect eyebrow, looking down at his son for a moment, and then turned away to the window.

"Love," he repeated, distain dripping from the word. "Love never profited anyone. Better to have an understanding than love. It's a ridiculous modern concept."

 _I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
Become so tired, so much more aware  
By becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

"That's completely hypocritical! You married mom for love."

"Yes, and look where it got me," Gabriel snapped, his face turning ugly and suddenly frightening. "Love makes no difference in the end and if you weren't such a child, you would understand that. I'll decide who you marry, just as I'll decide how you spend your day and what steps you should take for the best possible future."

Adrien swallowed hard at the look on his father's face, his heart racing at the terrifying change, but replied with only a slight quaver in his voice.

"You can't dictate my life."

"I believe," his father drawled, his complete composure returning so fast it was almost scarier than his anger had been. "You'll find that I can."

 _And I know I may end up failing too  
But I know  
You were just like me with someone disappointed in you_

Adrien scowled, jaw set, and looked hard at the man in front of him.

"I'm telling you, here and now, I will not take over the business after you," he told him. "There is no order or incentive you can give that will convince me otherwise. If you keep forcing me to attend all the things you think are helping to groom me for the position of your successor, I will go, because I know you can make Gorilla force me to go, but I will not participate. Photoshoots? I'll sit as still as a stone the entire time. Interviews? I won't say a single word. Following you around the studio? I will speak to everyone else I possibly can and ignore your existence entirely. And I will not marry Lila just because you say so."

Gabriel sniffed.

"Those are childish antics, Adrien."

 _I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
Become so tired, so much more aware  
I'm becoming this all I want to do  
Is be more like me and be less like you_

And just like that, the thing inside him that had been twisting and bending, snapped. Reckless elation coursed through Adrien, making him feel as though he could have jumped from the Eiffel Tower and flown.

"Yes!" He all but crowed, pointing at his father. "Exactly! That's all you think I am isn't it? So, I don't think I'll be acting above your expectations from this moment on."

He spun on his heel and stalked to the door.

"Adrien! Stop!"

The young man laughed and turned his father's disdaining look back on the man with far more heat than Gabriel had ever given it.

"No."

The door slammed so hard after him that it shook the frame and Adrien hurried back down to the party, intent on finding Marinette.

 _I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
I'm tired of being what you want me to be  
I've become so numb, I can't feel you there  
I'm tired of being what you want me to be_

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A/N: I really wanted Adrien to tell his dad to F- off instead of saying no there at the end, buuuuut that's not a very Adrien move. Freaking cinnamon bun. Lol.

The song is "Numb" by Linkin Park. I feel like I might be showing my age with a lot of these songs. Lol. :P

Also, just an fyi guys, I do respond to reviews, but you have to be logged in for me to do that soooo sign in before you review. Also, if you have questions, I can't answer them (which I will do!) unless you're signed in, but I will NOT answer questions about when the next chapter is going to come out. They get written when they get written.

Anyways, love hearing from you guys! Till next chapter!


	18. Goodnight My Friend

Chapter 17: Goodnight My Friend

Adrien spotted the little red riding hood impersonator and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, Alya, have you seen Marinette?"

He had to raise his voice to be heard over the music and he saw the girl frown and look around. Then she gestured for him to follow as she led Nino off the dance floor and away from the blaring music.

"The last I saw of her, she was with you," Alya said as soon as she deemed she could speak without shouting. "When did that change?"

Adrien sighed.

"I had to give Lila a tour of the house."

"During the party?" Nino asked, surprised.

The blonde shook his head.

"Don't even get me started. It's been a very long night, in no small part because my father decided to show up. I only took her on the tour because he insisted. But now I can't find Marinette."

"Hm. Let's split up and ask around," suggested the redhead.

Ten minutes later, they met back where they'd started.

"Rose and Juleka said the last they saw of her, she'd gone looking for a bathroom," Alya reported. "And that was over an hour ago."

"Nathaniel said he saw her about an hour ago and said she wasn't feeling well. He saw her sit down, but never saw her leave."

The three exchanged frowns and then Adrien felt a soft tap on his arm. He looked to see Mylene standing there with Ivan right behind.

"Um, you were looking for Marinette?" She asked quietly.

"That's right," Adrien said with the best smile he could muster. "Have you seen her?"

"I saw her, maybe an hour ago now? She didn't look well at all and she was headed for the doors."

"I'm calling her," announced the blogger, whipping out her phone and hitting the speed dial.

The phone rang through to voicemail and Alya's frown deepened. She tried twice more before she shook her head.

"She's not—oh!"

Alya's phone had begun ringing and she answered quickly.

"Marinette? You okay girl? Mylene said you were looking sick when you left. Did you make it home?"

She paused, listening, and nodded to herself.

"Okay girl, you get some sleep. I'll come by first thing in the morning… Too bad, girl. You're my BFF. I'm allowed to worry as much as I want… Okay, okay. But I will call… Okay, night."

Alya looked to the audience.

"She's at home. Says she's not feeling well, but she thinks she'll be okay in the morning."

Adrien didn't like it, but he hid his dismay with a small smile.

"Okay, good. I'm going to go mingle some more, now that that's been sorted."

He doubted that she was sick. Maybe she had just been embarassed by what she'd seen and didn't want to deal with awkward questions or encounters. He tried to picture it from her point of view and had to stop himself from wincing. Yes, it would have been incredibly awkward to talk to her after she'd seen something like that. If she wasn't actually sick, it was no wonder that she'd left early.

With a wave over his shoulder, he moved away from the two couples, forcing himself not to frown.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marinette let go a sad sigh as she hung up her phone and wrapped her arms around her legs. She should get up and go to bed, but she was still sitting on the floor of the kitchen where she'd curled up, cried herself out, and then dozed off until Alya's call had woken her up. Her hip and shoulder were sore from laying on the cold, hard floor, and she massaged the shoulder absently as she starred off into space, utterly drained.

She wasn't quite sure how long it was before she realized she'd started to get truly cold. With a soft groan, she heaved herself up and went hunting for hot chocolate ingredients. They weren't hard to find. When she'd filled the biggest mug she could find as full as she dared, she closed up the shop and crept upstairs, careful not to wake her parents.

The idea of changing out of her dress seemed like more effort than she had in her at the moment, so instead, she ran cold water over her face to rid herself of the feeling of the tear tracks and running makeup. Then, taking her hot chocolate with her, she made her way to her balcony, wondering at the intelligence of not taking the dress off when it caught her briefly in the skylight.

Wrangling the skirts out of the opening, she wondered if she'd be able to make it back down, but then found she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. She was numb and drained, as though she were a dishrag that had been scrubbed over too many dirty dishes and wrung out one too many times.

Sitting with her back to the wall, the hot chocolate steaming in her hands, she looked up into the night sky over Paris and watched the moon rise ponderously above her.

Maybe, she mused, maybe she could keep this numbness and let her feelings fade away. She'd never wanted them in the first place. She'd never wanted to be in love. She wanted to become the best baker Paris had ever seen and she couldn't do that if she was busy crying over boys she couldn't have. It was stupid.

She was stupid.

She looked down at her hot chocolate and saw Tikki sitting on the edge of the mug, dipping her hands in to scoop it up and drink some for herself. The kwami, sensing her Chosen looking at her finally, smiled up at Marinette.

"I feel so stupid, Tikki," she whispered, feeling as though she were admitting something of great import.

Tikki flitted up and nuzzled Marinette's cheek.

"You aren't stupid, Marinette," she replied firmly. "You're in love and that's not an easy thing to be in."

That got a rueful chuckle from the girl.

"You're telling me!"

She let out a long sigh and took a sip of the hot chocolate, closing her eyes to focus for a moment on just feeling the warmth filling her and tasting the delicious chocolate on her tongue.

"Love is stupid," she said quietly.

"That's a rather harsh sentiment."

The girl opened her eyes to look at her kwami and waved a hand in the air in front of her.

"I mean, the emotions, the time spent on them, it's all a stupid waste. I could have been using all that time I spent daydreaming about Adrien doing something useful like perfecting my pastries or finding a new flavor combination or… I don't know, learning to sky dive! Anything would have been more worthwhile."

Tikki giggled and Marinette sighed again.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I do," the kwami told her, becoming serious. "But I don't think being in love is a waste of time. I've seen a lot of successful love stories play out over my lifetime, and even more failed ones, but they are not a waste of time. They were all important, because they helped to shape the people who were in love, one way or another."

"And how is this going to shape me, Tikki?"

"Oh, Marinette, only time will tell that." Tikki nuzzled the girl's cheek affectionately. "But if I had to venture a guess, I'd say you'll come through this stronger for it. It won't be easy and it will hurt, but you'll make it."

Marinette's eyes began to sting again and she swallowed hard, cupping Tikki to her cheek to return the kwami's affection.

"If you say so, Tikki," she whispered as she tried to will the tears away.

They stayed that way for quite some time, Marinette finally giving into the tears. However, this time when she cried, it felt more like a release and left her a bit calmer instead of merely numb. As she rubbed the last of the tears away, she took a sip of her now-cold hot chocolate and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

She knew Tikki was right. She'd get through this somehow. Even now, she felt her fingers itching to be holding a spatula, to be baking and making and doing, but the rest of her body was exhausted from the running, crying, and general emotional upheaval of the past few hours. She didn't have the strength to go all the way back downstairs. Even the idea of getting to her bed was daunting.

"Good evening, _purrincess_."

Marinette's eyes popped open, startled, and she saw none other than Char Noir, balancing on the railing of her balcony as only a cat could. She relaxed as soon as she registered that it was him and gave him a sad little smile.

"Hey, Chat. You're out awfully late."

Chat cocked his head to the side, studying her for a moment. Hot chocolate, her makeup washed away but eyes red, and still in her now-wrinkled dress. He'd only meant to come check that she wasn't actually sick, but instead had found her like this. What had happened? Who had hurt her? He felt his hackles rising and took a moment to reign himself in. Chat really didn't know her well enough to be prying, but…

Maybe he could at least be there for her like she'd been for him.

His father had had Natalie confiscate his phone just after Adrien had found out Marinette had already left the party, so he hadn't been able to call her, and Natalie had also told him, per his father's instructions, he was not going to be allowed to galavant off to wherever he pleased with his "friends" any longer. He would be following the schedule his father and Natalie gave him to the letter and nothing else.

Well, if that's the way his father wanted to play, Adrien was game. He'd had enough. He was going to follow through on exactly what he'd told his father he'd do if his hand was forced. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But for now, Chat had other concerns. Like the lovely girl sitting curled up on her balcony, clearly in need of some sort of comfort. He'd deal with the other side of his life in the morning.

Hopping down from the railing, he sat himself at her side.

"Cats are nocturnal," he informed her with an easy smile. "My day's just starting. How's yours going?"

She gave a mirthless chuckle without a smile and looked out to the Paris skyline.

"I've had better."

"You wanna talk about it?"

She gave him a half-hearted attempt at a smile and shook her head.

"Not really."

"Fair enough."

The silence stretched between them comfortably until Marinette took a deep breath and spoke in a voice as quiet as the sky above them.

"I'm glad you came back, but I'm afraid I won't be very good company tonight."

"Let me be the judge of that, _purrincess_."

She looked up at Chat and he gave her a cheeky smile. As though they had a mind of their own, her lips twitched up into a small smile in return.

"So, were you out patrolling?"

"No. Actually, I came out just to see the best baker in Paris."

He gave her a wink and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made her roll hers.

"Flatterer."

"Just being honest, princess."

She turned to look at him, sitting so close to her, and wondered suddenly what was bothering him. He wasn't upset like last time Marinette had seen him, but there was a tenseness in his body language that spoke of being armored against something. As though he was ready to fight… or had just come out of one.

The wind picked up suddenly and she shivered. Chat looked at her.

"Cold?"

"Mm. I hadn't realized how cool it had gotten."

"You have a blanket somewhere?"

She gave him directions and he dropped down into her room, reappearing a moment later with his catch. He started to put it around her shoulders, but she stopped him and tugged on his arm to make him sit next to her again. When he'd settled himself, she wrapped half the blanket around his shoulders and the other half around herself, cuddling in a bit to steal some of his warmth.

"Princess?" He asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"You're warm."

"What about your hot chocolate?"

He nodded to the mug she'd abandoned to wrap the blanket around them and she made a face.

"I took too long to drink it. It's gone cold."

Amusement lit his eyes as he smiled and slipped an arm around her back.

"In that case…"

She chuckled and put her head down on his shoulder, hardly realizing she had done so, because it felt so utterly natural that she should have.

 _Lay by my side, and we'll sail away  
Off to the shores of another day_

"So," she said quietly after a few moments of companionable silence. "Do _you_ want to talk about it?"

Chat looked down at her, pulling away just a bit to be able to do so, and she lifted her head to look back, her gaze innocently quizzical.

"Talk about what?"

She poked him between the eyes where his brow was furrowed.

"About the fight you had before you came here."

He looked startled.

"How did you…"

Marinette shrugged, a bit self-consciously.

"I just… I could tell. You seem tense."

She gestured helplessly, not able to explain herself properly.

"You don't have to tell me, unless you want to. I was just wondering what had happened."

He looked at her for a long moment and she watched as his face slowly took on a sad smile. Then he looked away, settling back and offering his open arm for her to cuddle into again. She accepted the invitation gladly and his arm tightened comfortably around her before he began talking in a low voice that resonated in his chest.

 _All set to go once I hear you say  
Goodnight my friend, until the morning_

"My father's expectations of what I'll do with my life are incredibly different than mine and… I finally told him as much tonight. It didn't go particularly well."

Marinette made a sympathetic noise and he went on.

"He expects that I'll follow in his footsteps, but I have no interest in what he does. I want to do something else with my life, something that I enjoy. Like you."

He rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"You know what you want to do with your life and you're brilliant at it."

"Well, I'm also technically following in my father's footsteps," the little baker felt compelled to point out.

"Yes, but that's your choice, right?"

The girl made a noise of assent and he went on.

"It would be a completely different matter if I wanted to do what he does, but I don't. I hate the idea of it all."

"So what do you want to do then?"

Chat was quiet for so long that Marinette lifted her head to look at him. He was still staring out at the Paris skyline.

 _Up we will float as we close our eyes  
Stars all around us like fireflies_

Finally, he looked down at her with a heavy sigh.

"I don't know. I've never been given the chance to find out what I want for my life, because I've been kept so busy with what my father wants."

"It sounds to me," she said quietly. "Like this is your perfect opportunity to figure it out then. You had it out with him, right?"

Chat nodded.

"Right. Then you should focus on the things you like to do."

He chuckled a bit.

"That sounds great, princess, but where do I even start? I have a whole world of things to explore, but where do I begin?"

Marinette lapsed into a thoughtful silence for a long moment before she replied.

"Why don't you start with the subjects you learn in school? Think about the subjects you've studied and tell me, which one is your favorite?"

Chat went quiet, thinking in his own turn as he watched the stars, and then hummed.

"I guess I would have to say, my favorite would probably be physics. I like the sciences in general, but physics especially."

Marinette was glad he wasn't watching her face at that moment, because she wasn't able to keep the surprise from her expression at that revelation. She never would have pegged him for a science lover. If she'd had to pick, she would have guessed maybe P.E. The surprise made her smile ruefully, realizing she should have known better than to underestimate Chat Noir that way.

"There you go," she said. "Start there and see where it takes you."

 _Just me and you drifting through the skies  
Goodnight my friend_

Quiet filled the air around them and Marinette's thoughts began to drift slowly but inescapably to unpleasant topics like Lila and Adrien.

"Who hurt you, _purrincess_?" Chat's low, gently voice broke into her thoughts and she snorted a sudden, disbelieving laugh, distracted for a moment.

"Was that a purr I just heard?"

She lifted her head to look at him and he looked away, unable to hide his slight blush from her.

"No," he insisted, too quickly, making her smile before he cleared his throat and looked back at her, blush not entirely gone, but expression serious and understanding. "Are you avoiding my question? You don't have to tell me, but… I would like to know. It might help you just to talk about it."

Her smile fell away and she sighed softly, looking at her hands.

"It's stupid. It's my own fault I got hurt."

Chat's strong arm gave her waist a gentle squeeze and she turned her eyes skyward, suddenly wanting to get it all out before she thought too hard about it.

"My one-sided crush was crushed tonight. It was stupid. I was stupid. I was stupid to think he'd like me that way and stupid for wasting so much time on it and stupid for thinking I was good enough to catch the attention of someone like him and…"

She paused, feeling the tears threatening again and swallowed hard, trying to force them down. Chat didn't speak, just held her and waited for her to continue. Finally, she heaved a heavy sigh, a lump still in her throat as she admitted it to him.

"I'm just stupid."

She felt Chat's whole body stiffen, as though offended by her statement.

"No, you're not."

 _Not a thought  
Not a care_

Chat looked at the sweet girl and felt his heart twist in his chest even as he squashed the jealousy that had suddenly reared it's ugly head. She liked someone. Of course she did. And she had every right to. What idiot hadn't returned her feelings? Whoever it was, he was going to do his best to make Marinette forget about the moron. Anyone who made her think she was stupid didn't deserve her, because she was anything but.

 _Resting safe and sound  
With each other there_

Pulling away, he gently took hold of her shoulders so that the little baker had to turn and look at him. Marinette was surprised by the sudden intensity in Chat's eyes as she met them.

"Chat?"

"You're not stupid, princess. The stupid one is the guy who didn't return your feelings. You're talented and sweet and brilliant and beautiful. Any guy would be lucky that you deemed him worthy of your affection."

Marinette felt herself blushing now and ducked her head with an embarrassed smile.

"That's sweet of you to say, Chat, but—"

"Marinette."

The whisper of her name made her words catch in her throat. He'd said her name with such tenderness. She didn't think she'd ever heard him say her name, much less like that. Gently, he touched her chin and lifted her blushing face so that she was looking at him again and she saw that his expression was as tender as his voice had been.

"I mean it. I'm not trying to flirt or flatter you. I mean every word of it. You're amazing and you deserve someone who sees that."

She was so stunned that for several long moments, she didn't move, caught between the sudden stinging of her eyes and the warmth that filled her heart at how utterly sincere the normally joking boy was being. Finally, she swallowed hard and gave him a small smile before wrapping her arms around him, hugging him tight. As his arms closed around her, she whispered into his chest.

"Thank you, Chat. You're pretty amazing yourself."

 _And so we'll rock on a nighttime ride  
Cozy and warm on the rolling tide_

Adrien's heart felt so full it might burst at her words. Deciding he should let the subject drop before he said something to embarrass himself, he settled back down, Marinette's arms still around him and his around her, and asked her how the rest of her day had been, before The Incident.

She released him enough to find a more comfortable position, cuddled into his side, and told him, going into happy detail about the soufflé she'd made her parents for lunch. Adrien listened, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched her explain animatedly, her hands seeming to unconsciously go about the task of making the soufflé all over again, without a single ingredient being touched.

He thought he could have stayed right there, in that moment, for the rest of his life and been quite happy to do so.

 _Till we arrive on the morning side  
Our journey's end_

Their conversation roamed topics, as though bouncing between the stars that twinkled above them. They debated which sort of filling was best in tarts, with Chat eventually declaring they should agree to disagree and pondered what could be done with a degree in physics. They went back and forth naming all the people in history they would like to meet and how they would want to meet them. They made up new constellations, naming them even as they debated if this one looked more like a cow or a table, and if that one was a crayon or a fat pencil.

Eventually, their conversation wound down as they both felt sleep creeping in on them, though neither wanted to leave the safety of the other's side.

 _Goodnight_

"You know," he whispered. "I'm really glad you like the rain."

She chuckled.

"And I'm really glad you like jumping in puddles."

 _Sleep tight_

Her heart lighter than it had been in what seemed ages, Marinette's eyes slid slowly closed and she drifted off, not knowing it had even happened.

 _We're gonna be all right_

Chat inhaled slowly, breathing in the scent of flour, sugar, and chocolate that clung to the girl at his side, and let his eyes close as he reveled in simply holding her.

He never even knew when sleep claimed him.

 _Goodnight my friend_

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A/N: The irony of Adrien getting upset at himself without knowing he's upset at himself always cracks me up. Lol.

I have played around with the order I wanted these next few chapters to fall in and I keep switching it up on myself. But now, it's final and I can't take it back. I've also been plotting out more of the story so yeah! I not only know where we're going but how to get there, too! Lol.

The song is "Goodnight My Friend" from Galavant the TV musical, season 1. I highly recommend watching it. The show is hilarious.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts! Till next chapter!


	19. What Baking Can Do

Chapter 18: What Baking Can Do

It was the cold that woke her.

The blanket had slipped at some point, exposing her shoulders, and she shivered. Without opening her eyes, her hand searched blindly for the edge of the blanket, finding it eventually and pulling it back up around herself. She buried her cold face into the warm chest that she was cuddled into, but after a few moments she realized it was too late. She was awake now.

Cracking open an eye, she looked at the sky and saw that it was still dark out, but it was the pre-dawn dark that teased at the sky preparing to lighten. Sighing slightly as her body began to express how uncomfortable she was, having slept partially on another person and partially on a surface far harder than her bed, Marinette opened her eyes fully and looked at said person.

His hair was a bit tousled and he was breathing evenly, apparently not having been disturbed by her squirming around at all. His hair looked so soft she had to squash the urge to run a hand through it, and then wondered where the weird urge had come from. Shaking her head, she forcibly moved her thoughts on.

"Chat?" She whispered gently. "Chat, wake up."

The superhero gave a soft groan, his nose crinkling adorably, and cracked open an eye. He looked blearily at her and mumbled.

"Hm, Marinette?"

Suddenly, he seemed to come awake all at once and his free hand flew to his face. Finding his mask still in place, he relaxed. Apparently Plagg hadn't decided to de-transform him while he slept. Small mercies.

Marinette was smiling slightly.

"Something wrong?" She asked innocently.

"Oh, just checking," Chat replied with a cheeky grin. "Can't be too careful about my secret identity, you know."

"Oh, I wouldn't tell," she teased.

"I know, princess, but rules are rules."

Marinette slowly sat up, letting her aching muscles tell her all about how they were going to make today a very long one for her. Chat stood and stretched, yawning hugely, which made Marinette giggle.

"Yawn any bigger and I think you could fit a whole pie in there."

He put his hands on his hips and grinned at her.

"I think I'd like to try that some time."

She chuckled, but then felt her smile slip away as her brain reminded her of everything that had happened last night. It felt as though when Chat left, the precious calm she'd found in his presence would go too. Taking a deep breath, she let it out and braced herself. She was going to have to move forward, one way or another, and she had to face the day.

"I suppose I should get home before I'm missed," Chat muttered, frowning out over the city.

"And I may as well get to baking," Marinette added, eyeing the skylight and wondering with dread how long it was going to take to stuff her skirts back down through it.

"At this hour?"

She looked to the superhero, saw his clear astonishment, and laughed quietly.

"Bakers always start early, silly. That's the only way the bakery opens before noon."

"Really? Wow."

"Go on, chaton," she said, making a shooing motion, though she really wanted to ask him to stay, even just a little longer. But, the sooner she faced everything, the sooner she'd get over it all. "I don't want you getting in trouble at home and I've got work to do."

He looked at her for a long moment, so intensely that she felt her self beginning to blush.

"W-What?" She finally demanded.

"Are you sure?"

She felt her resolution shudder under the weight of the question, but made herself nod.

"Yes, I'm sure. Go."

Chat, clearly not convinced, but apparently willing to let her have her way, took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly.

"Happy baking, princess."

She smiled.

"Thanks, Chat."

Then, he turned and leapt away, disappearing over the rooftops.

Marinette had been right to dread stuffing her skirts back down through the skylight, as it took her a solid ten minutes of punching down tulle, pushing layers in, and wiggling around in a completely undignified manner before she fell on to her bed, exhausted from the effort. Laying there, she found herself ridiculously grateful that she'd sent Chat on before she'd tried to leave her balcony, because at least the only person who'd seen her embarrass herself had been Tikki.

With a long, bracing breath, she sat up and began struggling the dress off. Twenty minutes later found her downstairs, digging ingredients out of the pantry in an old pair of jeans and well-worn sweater while the ovens warmed behind her.

She dropped the pile of ingredients on to one of the metal tables, put her hands on her hips, and took a slow, deep breath. Right. She could do this. Baking was as natural as breathing and if there was anything that could get her over her stupid crush, that was it.

Pulling out her phone, she hit play on one of her more upbeat playlists.

 _Make it work  
Make it easy_

She began pulling bowls towards herself, measuring out flour and sugar, mixing in extracts and oils, and slowly, ever so slowly, the dance began to take over her hands and thoughts. Trays went into the ovens and came out piping hot. Pastries were scooped onto cooling racks and cooled pastries were dusted with sugar or decorated with berries and drizzled with honey.

When Sabine came into the kitchen, there were six display trays of goodies ready for her to take out. She raised her eyebrows in surprise at her daughter.

"You got a head start this morning, I see."

Marinette shrugged with a small smile.

"I couldn't sleep any longer," she said, knowing her mother wouldn't question her half-truth.

"Well, be sure you get a nap this afternoon if you get sleepy," the older woman said, pausing to let her daughter give her a kiss on the cheek before picking up two of the trays and whisking them off to the store front.

 _Make it clever  
Craft it into pieces_

She wasn't sure how many hours had past when Alya strode into the kitchen to give her a hug. When the blogger pulled back from the hug, she held Marinette at arms length and looked her up and down.

"What?" Marinette asked, a bemused grin touching her lips.

"Are you sick? You know you shouldn't be working if you're sick."

"I'm not sick."

"But you said you weren't feeling well last night. That's why you left the party so early."

Marinette shrugged uncomfortably and pulled away to keep stirring the soon-to-be-muffins.

"I wasn't feeling well, but I feel just fine now. It must have been some sort of twenty-four hour bug? Or something I ate? I don't know. But I'm good. Promise."

She shot her best friend a quick, reassuring smile, and Alya frowned slightly, putting a hand on her hip.

"If you say so, girl. Hey, have you heard from Adrien today?"

Marientte nearly dropped the bowl, managing a fumbling catch at the last moment.

 _Make it sweet  
Crimp the edges_

"W-w-why would I? Why would I have, have heard from him?"

Alya shrugged.

"Nino and I can't get ahold of him. I just thought you might have heard something."

Marinette shook her head, perhaps a bit too vigorously, because her best friend watched her back with suspicion narrowing her gaze. There was something the bluenette wasn't telling her, the blogger could tell. Her reporter instincts were tingling. Alya watched the other girl for a moment, deciding on her approach.

"So," she said. "What happened with Adrien last night?"

Marinette jumped and whipped her head around so fast she gave herself a crick.

"What are you talking about?"

"That, right there," Alya said, pointing at her friend. "Why are you all on edge when I mention Adrien?"

Marinette winced. It was truly a wonder she'd managed to hide the face that she was Ladybug from Alya for so long already. The girl could sniff out avoidances better than a bloodhound after steak.

"It's nothing, Alya. Really."

"Don't lie to me, girl. I know you better than that."

 _We'll make it sour  
And serve with lemon wedges_

Alya pulled the bowl out of Marinette's hands and took the little baker by the shoulders so she had to look at her friend.

"What's up? Seriously, did something happen?"

Marinette sighed, shrugged, and mumbled.

"I saw him kissing Lila at the party last night."

"He _what_?!" Alya nearly screeched, making the baker wave her hands in an attempt to shush her friend as she hurried on.

"And… I might have… kind of… panicked and run away babbling."

"What did Adrien say?"

"Nothing. He didn't come after me or anything. I haven't seen him since. Lila found me after and told me… she told me they're engaged, but they haven't made it public yet. Because it'll hurt his image."

"Say what? That's crazy! We're teenagers. Why would he be engaged?"

Marinette shrugged again.

"It's a good arrangement between their families. Her family is one of the biggest producers of Mr. Agreste's lines apparently."

"So it's a business arrangement?"

"I guess so."

Alya scowled.

"I don't believe it."

"If it wasn't true, then why didn't Adrien come explain himself? I mean, not that he'd have to explain anything to me, why would he? I'm just a friend and that's all he thinks of me as so it doesn't matter because a friend would understand, especially since she's his fiancé—"

"Marinette," Alya cut in. "You're babbling."

"Sorry," the bluenette replied with a sheepish grin as she turned back to her baking.

 _Even doubt  
Can be delicious  
And it washes off of all the dirty dishes  
_

Alya was shaking her head.

"I just don't believe it. I can't believe he'd chose her over you, especially since the thing with her sounds like a business contract rather than an engagement. And anyway, you'd think he would have told us something like that."

"She told me they weren't telling people until the official announcement was made, because he'll market better as single until then, I guess."

The blogger was frowning, tapping her phone on her crossed arms.

"It just doesn't add up in my mind. I'm going to call Nino and get to the bottom of this. That boy does not get to hurt my best friend and get away with it!"

"Alya," Marinette turned and grabbed her friend's arm just in time. "Don't. Please don't. It's not his fault I had a crush on him and he can't be held responsible for me getting hurt. He had no idea. I'm sure if I'd said something to him about my feelings he would have let me down gently, but please, _please_ , don't tell him about my feelings now. I just… I just want to get over him as fast as I can. So I can go back to being his friend."

She turned her big, pleading blue eyes on her best friend and watched as the other girl slowly dropped her angry posture with a sigh and a shake of her head.

"Okay, girl. I won't say anything about your feelings. But I _am_ getting to the bottom of this. It doesn't add up."

 _It's on someone else's plate for a while  
I'll place it on display  
And then I'll slice  
And serve my worries away_

As Alya disappeared out the kitchen door, already hitting the speed dial to call her boyfriend, Marinette focused all her willpower on the lemon and poppyseed muffins. With deliberate care, as though doing so could make them all go away, she counted off her worries and heartaches as she poured each one into the pan.

That one was the hurt over seeing Adrien kissing Lila.

This one was her worries over how much stronger the akumas had become.

The one in the far corner was the pain of hearing that Adrien was engaged.

The one next to that was the pain in her heart for Chat and the chasm that stood between he and his father.

One for the homework she'd been putting off, one for her worries that someone would discover she was Ladybug, and another for her anxiousness about her coming exams.

 _I can fix this  
I can twist it into sugar, butter covered pieces  
Never mind what's underneath it_

One by one, she filled the trays with her worries and put them in the ovens, hoping that maybe as the muffins were eaten, the troubles that weighed on her mind would disappear as well.

 _I have done it before  
I'll bake me a door, to help get me through  
I learned that from you  
Papa, it's amazing what baking can do_

 _"Cooking and baking is both physical and mental therapy,"_ her papa was fond of saying, and before this, she would have wholeheartedly agreed. Now, she simply hoped he was right.

 _Make it up  
And surprise them  
_

Tray after tray disappeared from the kitchen as her music continued playing, but she found no peace and she wasn't able to completely forget any of it. It was all sitting in the back of her mind, crouching, ready and waiting to pounce the moment she let down her guard.

 _Tell them all my secrets  
But disguise them_

She dared to leave the kitchen once, when she knew several of her classmates would be there and expect to see her. They made it easier to push it all down for a bit.

"You guys have any plans for the day?" Marinette asked.

"I'm heading to a new skate park that opened this week. It's supposed to be wicked," Alix said with an excited grin.

"I promised my mom I'd be home to help clean," Kim said with a heavy sigh. "We have relatives coming in next weekend and she wants to get a head start. I'm taking scones back for my whole family."

Marinette chuckled.

"Well, it sounds like Alix will be having more fun than you, Kim. Good luck."

"Thanks, Marinette," he said, sounding sincerely grateful.

He and Alix waved goodbye, Alix munching away happily on a muffin, and the little baker headed back to her sanctuary.

 _So they dance on the tongues  
Of the very people that they're secrets from  
Make it soon  
Make it better  
Though, better never lasts forever..._

As Marinette set out her latest tray of pastries on a cooling rack and went to pull another from the oven, Sabine poked her head in excitedly.

"Marinette, you'll never guess! Gabriel Agreste, you know, the fashion designer? His personal assistant is in our bakery _right now_ asking specifically for _your_ pastries!"

"Really?" The little baker asked, not looking up as she checked the croissants and only half-listening, not truly registering what her maman was saying. "Why is he suddenly interested in our bakery?"

"Apparently his son, Adrien, has been speaking so highly of your pastries specifically that his father decided he needed to try, and I quote 'some of the famous Marinette's work'."

 _Even this  
Even now  
Even as the walls come tumbling down  
Even as I can't stop remembering how…_

The memory hit her like a truck, barreling into her with brutal, encompassing freshness, and the tray slipped from her fingers, crashing to the floor and sending croissants flying and spinning in all directions. For several long moments, she could't move as she felt the horror of last night all over again, watching Adrien and Lila once more pressed against each other in her mind's eye.

She shut her eyes and only saw it more clearly. Shaking her head and opening her eyes, she stared hard at the fallen croissants and began reciting the recipe to herself to push out the memory she didn't want.

"Marinette, sweetie? Are you alright?"

Marinette's head snapped up to see her mother standing in the doorway to the kitchen and she smiled quickly, waving her hands in front of her.

"I'm fine, maman, just a clumsy moment."

Sabine watched her daughter carefully as the girl began to pick up the tray and croissants. A slight frown touched her lips, but by the time Marinette stood again, the frown had disappeared so that she couldn't see. Sabine knew her daughter better than that. Marinette never dropped things while she was baking unless something was wrong.

"If you're sure…," she said.

"Of course I am," Marinette said, making a shooing motion with her free hand. "Go on, maman."

Sabine, not remotely convinced, but willing to put the matter aside until she'd observed her girl a bit more, nodded and left the little baker to her work.

Marinette took several long, slow breaths, concentrating solely on the air filling her lungs and then exiting. When she felt she had a hold of herself again, she threw away the ruined croissants, arranged a new tray with scones, plastered on the best smile she could manage, and strode out into the shop to greet her clientele.

 _So with flour on my hands  
I'll show them all how  
Goddamn happy I am_

She was greeted with a chorus of cheers when she was spotted and her smile turned a bit sheepish, never quite used to the enthusiastic praise she always seemed to receive. Her gaze immediately fell on the woman at the counter, who was dressed so pristinely professional that it made Marinette suddenly very aware of the flour on her face and clothes.

"Marinette!" Called one of their regulars, was his name… Davy? Darrel? Darren!

He was a young man about her own age who had been coming every Sunday for the past couple of months now. Grateful for a distraction from the woman who clearly worked for Mr. Agreste, she turned her full attention to Darren for several moments with the general niceties and how-are-you's. As soon as she saw that the woman was out the door, Marinette excused herself from Darren, not seeing that his gaze didn't leave her.

She made the rounds, greeting everyone she knew and speaking to those she didn't. As soon as she felt it was safe, she slipped out of the shop and back into the kitchen.

 _Sugar, butter, flour  
Don't let me down_

As the door swung closed, she let her shoulders slump for a moment before taking a deep breath and pulling out a clean bowl. She'd been ignoring the memories all morning and she could go right back to doing just that.

Steeling herself with a will made of iron, she fell into her dance once again, and, eventually, forgot that she was forgetting anything at all.

 _Let's see the next amazing thing baking does now_

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A/N: Alya's on the scent! Lol. We'll talk to Fu in the next chapter and see what he thinks of the akuma situation.

The song is "What Baking Can Do" from the musical Waitress, and yes, a couple of lines were taken out. Nothing I haven't done before, creative liberties and all. It just made everything flow better. And the quote is actually from Mary Berry (from 'The Great British Baking Show').

Drop me a line about what you thought! Till next chapter! :)


	20. Somebody Out There

Chapter 19: Somebody Out There

"So," Marinette concluded with a sigh. "What do you think?"

She'd left the bakery as soon as she was done cleaning up from that morning's work and headed straight for Master Fu's home. He'd listened silently as she'd explained about the stronger akumas and how worried it was making her and Chat Noir. She'd made sure that her accounts of the akuma attacks were as detailed as possible, just in case Master Fu caught something she'd overlooked.

Master Fu was sipping serenely at his tea, eyes closed, while his kwamai, Wayzz, mirrored him with a mini cup of his own. After several long moments of silence, Fu finally opened his eyes and looked at the little baker.

"This news is disturbing, to say the least. I think it is possible that Hawkmoth has somehow learned how to increase the powers of his kwami, which worries me for more than one reason."

"'Increased the powers of his kwami'?" Marinette repeated, frowning. "Is that possible?"

Master Fu nodded slowly.

"Yes. Every miraculous has different levels of power, which cannot be immediately accessed. This is so every wielder can grow at the safest pace for themselves."

Marinette leaned forward, suddenly excited at the implications.

"Can Chat and I access a new level of our powers then?" She asked. "That would be super helpful in fighting Hawkmoth. How do we do that?"

Master Fu looked at her sadly and shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I do not know how to help you and Chat Noir reach the next level with yours, because a long time ago, the book that held those secrets was lost. What worries me is that somehow Hawkmoth has discovered the secrets of his miraculous. This means he either posses the book itself or, perhaps, he knows the person that does and has convinced them to share it with him. However, the book is in code. The fact that someone besides myself has managed to decipher it troubles me greatly."

Marinette sat back on her heels, her stomach sinking. How were she and Chat supposed to compete with someone who had access to knowledge about his miraculous that they could only wish for? That was fighting a losing battle.

The silence stretched between them for several moments before Master Fu sighed.

"Marinette."

The girl sat up straighter at the sound of her name.

"I did not want to have to do this, but it seems I no longer have a choice. If you should come up against an akuma you do not believe that you and Chat alone can defeat, come back here to me and I will provide you with more help."

"'More help'? What kind of help?"

"You will know. If it is needed."

Marinette left Master Fu's with more questions, as was usual after having spoken to the cryptic man, but felt encouraged all the same, knowing there would be more help when they needed it.

Wayzz floated up from his tiny table, looking at the door as it closed.

"You don't plan to join the fight yourself, do you Master?"

Fu chuckled.

"No, Wayzz. I have resigned myself to no longer taking a direct part in the fight. If I must, I will see that more miraculous holders are chosen. Speaking of which, I should also keep an eye out for someone to begin training myself."

The little green kwami nodded solemnly and Master Fu sipped his tea.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There were many things that Nino loved about his girlfriend. She was brilliant and passionate and driven, not to mention totally hot, but occasionally, as much as he loved her, even he had to admit that she went too far.

This was proving to be one of those occasions.

"Alya…"

"No, Nino. I won't stand for this."

"But—"

"I need answers!"

"But—"

"Answers!"

Nino sighed heavily and shook his head. It had been four days since anyone had heard from Adrien and, as much as it worried him, the camping out in front of the mansion that Alya had forced him into had at least proved that Adrien was alive. They hadn't been able to talk to the blonde though, thanks to the bodyguard who basically manhandled Adrien into the waiting limo every time they got close.

Alya was staring at the mansion again, arms crossed and glaring.

"Nino," she snapped suddenly.

Her boyfriend stood to attention.

"Yes?"

"I need more coffee."

Nino frowned. This had gone on long enough. It was time he intervened, for her good and his sanity. So he braced himself and replied.

"No."

She turned on him.

"What?"

"I said no. You don't need more coffee. What you need is to go home and sleep."

"No," she replied slowly, as though speaking to a child. "I already told you. What I need is answers! And more coffee."

But Nino was shaking his head. He looped an arm around Alya's waist and began tugging her away from her stake out point.

"No, what you need is to take a breath. I love you and I don't want you making yourself sick over this."

"Nino!"

He was making progress down the street, albeit with the entire street staring at them, but progress was progress when you were dragging your determined girlfriend away from her goal.

"I'm all for getting answers too, Alya, but it obviously isn't going to happen this way."

"Nino, stop!"

He sighed and paused long enough to look down at her, digging her heels into the sidewalk in a vain attempt to halt their progress.

"Alya, think about it. What good are you doing staring at his house day and night? They obviously aren't going to let us talk to him yet, but maybe if we leave and act like we're done trying we can come back after they let their guard down a bit. Wouldn't that make more sense?"

Alya frowned and crossed her arms. He knew he'd gotten her with that, but he also knew when to wait for her agreement and when to push further. So he waited. Finally, she growled softly to herself and uncrossed her arms.

"I guess you're right."

Then she turned and pointed at his face.

"But you're getting me more coffee."

Nino grinned.

"Of course I am."

Not far off, a small asian man in a bright Hawaiian shirt was watching the exchange with an amused grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tom and Sabine were worried about their daughter. She'd been acting strange for days; clumsier than usual, especially in the kitchen where she'd never been clumsy before, seeming to be lost in her own thoughts far more often, to the detriment of both pastries and people, jumpy and nervous when she was pulled out of her thoughts, and clearly not getting enough sleep.

"What's wrong with her, mama?" Tom wondered aloud, after they watched Marinette overcompensate in her conversation during dinner, break not one, but two plates while helping clean up, and then nearly miss the first of the stairs up to her room before rushing up the rest with a nervous laugh.

Sabine sighed and shook her head.

"It's a boy."

"A boy?!"

Tom nearly fell out of his seat. Never had his daughter shown interest in the opposite sex. He'd secretly been hoping that perhaps she wouldn't until after college, since her love affair with baking had consumed her at an early age. But, his wife was still nodding, now in confirmation.

"That's the only answer," Sabine said. Then she sighed at a happy thought, clasping her hands and looking off into space. "I remember after I met you and realized I was in love. I couldn't make so much as toast without burning it. She's showing all the signs."

Tom nodded, standing to his full, considerate height.

"Right. I'll go talk to her."

"What?" His wife demanded, looking both surprised and worried. "Don't you think I should—"

"No, mama," Tom said, heading for the stairs. "I've got this."

"Oh dear," Sabine murmured to herself as she watched her husband pause and knock on the trapdoor to Marinette's room.

Well, she supposed, she could always do damage control later if need be.

Upstairs, Marinette watched her papa pace back and forth , pausing two different times as though he was going to say something, only to turn away and continue pacing. She waited, her curiosity at the odd behavior increasing by the moment.

Finally, Tom seemed to steel himself, shook his head, and turned to look at his daughter.

"Marinette," he said. "I want to talk to you. About… about boys."

The little baker's stomach dropped. Oh no. Did he know about her crush on Adrien? Had Alya said something to her parents? No, she wouldn't have done that. Had she, herself, been too obvious? Said something in passing that she hadn't meant to? Or was this going to be 'The Talk'? Oh God, she hoped not.

Tom took her panicked silence for listening and went on.

"Now, I want to talk to you about what to expect. That is, I mean, what you should expect when you're, ah, looking for a, um, significant other."

Oh crap. This was going to be 'The Talk' wasn't it?

Her papa paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

" _You deserve someone who listens to you  
Hears every word and knows what to do."_

Marinette was staring at her papa, trying to get her brain to switch gears. So this wasn't going to be a birds and the bees talk? That was a relief.

 _"When you're feeling hopeless lost and confused,"_ Tom went on. _  
"There's somebody out there who will  
_ _You need a man who holds you for hours  
_ _Make your friends jealous  
_ _When he brings you flowers  
_ _And laughs when he says 'they don't have love like ours'."_

Marinette felt a little smile tugging on her lips now.

"Like you do with manan?" She teased.

Tom smiled.

"Exactly."

"Alright," the little baker said, popping up off her seat and hoping desperately she'd be able to get her papa to switch topics or leave before he pushed into territory she didn't want to discuss. "So I should look for someone just like you. Got it. Great talk, papa."

She tugged on his arm, trying to get him to move, but to no avail. Tom simply shook his head.

"No, sweetie. It's more than that. Just… sit back down?"

Marinette sighed and took her seat again, resigning herself to her papa staying until he'd said everything he meant to say. Tom nodded and went on.

 _"There somebody out there who will…,"_ he paused, trailing off for a moment as he thought, and then continued.  
 _"There's somebody out there who's looking for you.  
_ _Someday he'll find you, I swear that its true."_

Tom paused, feeling suddenly awkward, but, wanting to get it all out, he rushed on.

 _"He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still.  
_ _He'll take you dancing and pull you in close."_

A flash of pleasantly-unpleasant memory swept over Marinette as she remembered dancing with Adrien. She did her best to hide her wince and forced her mind away from the thoughts. She was going to get over him.

For some reason, Chat Noir was the next thought in her mind, and the night they had danced on the Eiffel Tower. She felt a warmth in her chest as a small smile crept on to her face as she remembered how he'd cajoled her into dancing with him and then made her laugh with his antics. He'd held her with such care, too.

Her papa was still talking and she turned her attention back to him.

 _"…Spin you around and won't let you go  
Till they turn the lights off and he'll take you home.  
_ _There's somebody out there who will—"_

"Have you ever taken maman dancing?" Marinette asked.

Tom paused and grinned.

"We used to go dancing all the time. Your mama is an excellent dancer. Just like a swan."

The little baker smiled at the description and leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands as her papa did a little spin where he stood, holding his arms out like he was holding her mother.

"When was the last time you took her?"

He frowned thoughtfully.

"Hm. It's been a while. A few years at least."

"You should take her out soon."

Tom nodded decisively.

"You're right. I think I'll take her out Saturday, since you've taken over my Sunday mornings."

"You should," Marinette agreed, her smile widening. "I think you'd both have fun."

Tom looked back to his daughter, his smile turning sympathetic. His sweet girl was always looking out for the happiness of others. He had seen her wince and wondered if perhaps unrequited love had bruised her own happiness. He didn't want to ask directly, especially since it seemed she didn't want to tell either him or Sabine about it, but he did want to encourage her, if that was the case.

Leaning forward, Tom took his daughter's hands and looked at her seriously.

" _There's somebody out there who's looking for you  
Someday he'll find you, I swear that its true  
He's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still."_

Tom patted his daughters head before he went on, clearly able to see the dark circles under her eyes.

" _Tossing and turning and dreaming at night  
About finding him and praying and hoping you might  
'Cause you deserve someone who knows how to treat you right."_

Marinette gave him a small smile. He might not know what was actually bothering her, but he'd obviously made some good guesses. Her parents knew her well and she felt an overwhelming appreciation for them both, especially since neither of them had demanded answers from her, opting to support her silently instead.

She stood and reached up to kiss Tom's cheek.

"Thank you, papa."

He gave her hug.

"Any time, sweetie."

She watched as her papa disappeared back downstairs, closing the trapdoor as he went, and his words seemed to echo in her ears.

 _I know he's out there  
He's looking for you  
Someday he'll find you, I swear that it's true  
And he's gonna kiss you and you'll feel the world stand still_

With a sigh, she flopped down onto her settee and covered her face with her arms. She'd clearly been failing horribly at keeping her inner turmoil to herself. She'd have to work on that.

 _You need some who'll miss you  
Hold you and kiss you_

She heard a soft tap on her window and pushed herself up to look.

 _There's somebody out there_

"Chat…?"

 _Who will_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: So this song doesn't really move the plot along, but I knew the first time I heard it that I had to use it in a conversation between Marinette and her papa. If not in this story then it would have been in a one-shot. Hope you guys don't mind. :)

The song is "Somebody Out There" by A Rocket to the Moon. As always, I recommend a listen.

Drop me a line and let me know what you thought! Till next chapter!


	21. A Million Miles Away

Chapter 20: A Million Miles Away

The past week had been one of the most stressful of Adrien's life. He hadn't realized just how much effort it would take to fulfill what he'd sworn to his father. Ignoring someone who was intent on making you break the silence was a lot of work, and his father tried everything he could to make it happen. The man would show up in the middle of meals, attempt to ambush Adrien with questions when he thought his son's guard was down, and try to force conversations both when they were surrounded by people and when they were completely alone.

Adrien refused to give in.

What was even more wearing was that Lila was still hanging around, also intent on getting his attention and trying to get him alone, but Adrien was having none of it. She'd pushed him too far at the party and the blonde was done. Every time she tried to speak to him, Adrien walked away or turned the conversation to anyone else that happened to be nearby. If she caught him alone, he firmly said no to anything she said or suggested and then left, even if she was still talking. Needless to say, she was as pleased with him as his father was now.

He wondered absently as he twirled his pencil, not even pretending to be doing the math exercises that Natalie had assigned him, when they'd start wagering against each other to see which of them could break him first. The thought sent a smile flitting across his face for a moment before he looked back down at the textbook in front of him.

What depressed him most about his current situation was the fact that he'd been unable to contact any of his friends since the night of the party, when his phone had been confiscated. He regretted not having memorized any of their phone numbers now, because even if he got into his father's office with the landline, he had no number to call.

He had seen Alya and Nino outside several times in the first few days of his house arrest, but despite all of their efforts, Gorilla had managed to put Adrien in the limo every time before they got close enough to speak. He desperately missed his friends and the loneliness was even more crushing now than it had been before he'd met them and knew that he _had_ been lonely at all.

What worried him the most was the idea that an akuma would attack and he wouldn't be able to get away from Gorilla to transform. His bodyguard stuck to him like a burr whenever he left the mansion any more, going so far as to sit in on Adrien's fencing lessons to do nothing but stare at his charge until he was done.

"Adrien."

He didn't look up from his textbook. He didn't flinch, didn't move a muscle, just pretended to keep studying. Then, he turned his attention to the next math problem. He heard his father's disgusted huff and then footsteps came into the room, stopping not far behind him.

A folder was slapped down on the desk next to him and Adrien ignored it's existence.

"Care to explain these?"

Silence. Then a growl from his father as the man flicked the folder open and spilled the photos the folder contained across Adrien's desk, effectively covering his math book and papers. They were pictures from his last two photoshoots. He'd been as good as his word and not done a single thing, even though he'd been forced to show up for them.

"What is this rubbish?" His father demanded. "Refusing to pose? Sitting like a statue? And what is this… _yawning_?"

Adrien emulated his picture, letting a huge yawn escape him as he brushed the photos away and found his mouse and keyboard under them all. He navigated the the LadyBlog as he tuned out the ear full his father was giving him for wasting the valuable time of the photographer and assistants and how much money the photoshoots had cost, which was money down the drain now.

Suddenly, the mouse was ripped from his grasp as his father loomed over him. Adrien refused to look up as Gabriel continued to berate him for his childish behavior and started in on foolish he was being, holding a petty grudge for so long.

Adrien swiveled his chair away and stood, heading for the bathroom and closing the door in his father's still-ranting face. Inside, the blonde sighed heavily and slumped against the door.

Plagg slipped out of Adrien's shirt and floated up to glare at the door silently, looking as though he had a few choice things of his own he wanted to say to Gabriel, but not wanting to be accidentally overheard and reveal himself.

It was several long minutes later before Gabriel was heard to leave and Adrien sighed in relief, but didn't move yet. His father might have just made it sound that way. After waiting several more minutes and hearing nothing, Adrien stuck his head back out and saw that his father really was gone.

"How long are you gonna keep this up, kid?" Plagg asked, zooming back to where he'd been dozing on Adrien's bed before Gabriel had so rudely burst in.

"As long as it takes."

"Ugh," the kwami groaned, burying himself in the covers. "You humans and your drama. Life would be so much easier if you'd all just learn to love cheese. Speaking of which..."

Adrien shook his head, unable to help the little grin that tugged at his lips.

"You can wait till dinner, like everyone else."

A whine came from the direction of the kwami, though Adrien couldn't see him any more for the blankets and sheets, and the blonde went back to his desk.

He decided he was going to focus on one of the few bright spots left in his life at the moment and began pondering what Marinette might have for him to eat tonight, smiling to himself as he pictured her, sitting next to him on her balcony and describing how to make some sort of pastry or sweet. It made the intervening hours between the afternoon and evening pass a bit more quickly, knowing he might get to see her tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chat tapped on Marinette's window and saw her sit up as her lips formed his name. He grinned, pointing up and she nodded with a small smile of her own. He hopped up onto her balcony and waited. Ten minutes passed, then another five, and Chat began to worry that maybe she'd forgotten he was up here? Or maybe one of her parents had come up after he'd left the window and she was busy talking to them? He was just about ready to go peek in her window again, when the trapdoor popped open and she appeared with a plate of tarts.

"Give a girl a hand?" She said, holding out the plate.

He jumped from where he'd been sitting on the railing and took the plate from her before holding out his free hand to help pull her up. She took it and climbed easily out of the trapdoor.

"Thanks," she said with a grin.

"Any time, princess," he replied, giving the hand he was still holding a kiss.

She rolled her eyes and looked away as she took her hand back, but Chat could see the slight blush and grin on her face. Deciding to give her some space, he turned his attention to the plate in his hands and sniffed.

"Raspberry and lemon?"

Marinette, who had turned her attention to spreading out a blanket for them, looked back at him, still grinning.

"Yes. I was thinking you might be by tonight so I made them special for you. You said you thought raspberry tarts were the best, right?"

"Mhm, and you claim the lemon ones are the best," Chat replied, taking a seat and putting the plate down between them. "So you combined them?"

"Yep! Raspberry and lemon work wonderfully together, you know."

"Do they? Hm. I guess I'll have to find out for myself."

He took a bite of one of the tarts and sighed in pleasure.

"Alright, princess, you're right. The combination is the best."

"Of course I'm right," she replied cheekily, and he laughed.

"Far be it from me to debate the master on her own subject."

Marinette nodded sagely.

"Smart boy." She plucked a tart from the plate for herself and leaned back. "So, how have you been?"

The smile slipped from Chat's face at the question and Marinette almost regretted asking it. He shrugged and then sighed heavily.

"Not great. I'm basically under house arrest right now. I haven't said a word to my father since our fight. He thinks I'm being childish, but I'm just following up on what I told him I'd do."

"And what was that?"

"Nothing." He looked over at her. "I told him I would do nothing. I won't participate in anything he insists I have to do and I won't speak to him or acknowledge his existence."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

Chat finished his tart and plucked another from the plate. The little baker didn't like seeing that look of despondency on her friend's face and pondered for several moments on how to cheer him up.

" _Have you ever imagined what it'd be like to take off, and never look back?"_ Marinette asked, watching Chat's face closely.

He let out a huff of air.

 _"Only ever hour of every day."_

Then he paused, looking thoughtful, before a mischievous grin touched his lips.

" _What's stopping us?"_

Marinette raised an eyebrow when the superhero looked over at her, a twinkle in his eyes. Alright, she'd play along, if it would get his mind off his troubles at home for a while.

"I don't know, Chat. What's stopping us?"

He grinned.

"Nothing! Nothing's stopping us."

He gestured grandly out over Paris.

 _"We'll join a caravan tonight,  
Count on the stars to be our guides.  
We'll simply vanish out of sight,  
Go where the dessert road decides."_

Marinette laughed.

"A caravan across the dessert? Why not just take a bus to Belgium or a boat to the UK?"

Chat scoffed.

"So mundane! If I'm leaving, I'm going in style!"

"And caravans are 'in style'?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Obviously.''

"And you're an expert on what's 'in style' I suppose?" Marinette challenged with raised eyebrows.

Chat leaned back, putting a hand to his heart.

"Princess! Do you have so little faith in your knight?"

Marinette laughed and Chat grinned, happy to hear the sound. He leaned forward again.

 _"There won't be any obligations."_

"Or fathers to obey?"

Marinette suggested with a little grin as she pushed her shoulder into his playfully. _  
_

"Exactly!" He said, bumping her back before jumping to his feet as he got more excited about the notion.

 _"'Cause we'll be a million miles away,  
Leave everything behind.  
When you choose to loose yourself,  
Who knows what you might find."_

Chat turned back to her with a cheeky grin and leaned down to boop her nose as he went on.

 _"And once the journeys done,  
You'll have some faith in me."_

Marinette rolled her eyes even as she returned his grin.

 _"After a million miles or so,"_ he added. _  
"We might feel like we're free."_

Chat's demeanor suddenly became more serious again and he turned to lean on the railing. Marinette stood and joined him. Giving him a sidelong look, she turned her gaze to the stars and said thoughtfully,

 _"Maybe we'll travel on the sea."_

His grin was quick to return, happy to be pulled out of his darker thoughts.

 _"I'll tend the sails, and you can steer."_

" _Watch the waves roll on endlessly,"_

Marinette continued.

" _And the horizon disappear,"_

Chat finished for her. _  
_

She leaned her shoulder into his once more and he responded with a bit of pressure of his own.

 _"We'll leave all thoughts about the future,  
'Till some future day," _she said quietly. _  
"'Cause we'll be a million miles away.  
Leave everything behind  
And once the journey's done,  
It won't seem quite so far.  
After a million miles or so,  
We'll find out who we are."_

Chat smirked.

"Are you trying to say you want to know who I really am, _purrrincess_?" He winked and leaned in. "You know I can't tell you that."

Marinette snorted and flicked his nose.

"That's not what I meant, kitty, and you know it."

His smirk changed back into a grin and his whole body relaxed as he stretched out over the railing and starred at Marinette.

"Would you really come with me if I left?"

She watched him thoughtfully and replied completely straight-faced after a moment.

"I could be _purrrsuaded_."

Chat felt his heart jump in his chest as he jaw dropped. She'd made a cat pun. She'd seriously made a cat pun. Could she be any more perfect?

Marinette laughed at Chat's dumbfounded expression and poked his chin.

"Planning to catch flies?" She teased.

He closed his mouth immediately and shook his head, smiling again. Chat put his hands on his hips and leaned toward her.

"But, really? You could be _purrrsuaded_? _  
Follow wherever the wind starts blowing?"_

" _The kind of a life people dream of knowing,"_

she responded with a nod.

Chat found he truly liked the idea of running away with this amazing girl. If he didn't have a duty to protect Paris, he just might have done exactly that right that very moment. Instead, he gestured out to the horizon grandly.

" _We'll never turn back,  
Just keep on going.  
Vanishing from view,  
Becoming someone new."_

As she smiled at him, Chat thought he could have lived for years on nothing but that look.

"I don't think you need to be anyone new," she said quietly and he felt a slight blush creep onto his cheeks as she starred up at him.

She was so close, leaning against him, seeming perfectly content to be by his side. He felt his heart swell.

 _We'll be a million miles away,  
Leave everything behind.  
When you choose to loose yourself,  
Who knows what you might find._

Chat bent down slightly as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers with a soft sigh.

"Chat?" She whispered, her voice so quiet that if he'd been any further away he wouldn't have heard it.

"Yes, princess?" He asked, just as softly as he opened his eyes.

He heard her sharp intake of breath as their eyes met and he was lost for several long moments in the blue depths of her gaze.

Chat's bright green eyes had caught her off guard and sent Marinette's heart hammering in her chest. But why? He was so close. He'd been this close plenty of times when she was Ladybug. Why was she suddenly… suddenly feeling as though… she wanted to be even closer?

The thought made her breath hitch and she swallowed hard. She had no idea any more of what she'd been about to say to him and couldn't seem to make her brain communicate with her mouth to say anything at all.

 _And once the journeys done,  
We'll have no need to roam._

A rumble shook the whole of Paris, as though a small earthquake had hit, and the two pulled away from each other as they turned to look. From Marinette's balcony they couldn't see the cause, but it was a fair bet that the earthquake was no feat of nature.

Chat frowned for a moment before turning back to the little baker.

"Looks like duty calls."

She nodded, but as he pulled out his baton, she caught his arm and he looked back over his shoulder at her.

"Be careful."

He gave her a surprisingly sweet smile, took the hand on his arm, and kissed it.

"Anything for you, princess."

And then he was gone. Marinette starred after him for a moment, feeling her face flushing as her heart pounded.

"Marinette?" Prodded Tikki as her Chosen remained frozen in place.

The little baker shook herself, slapping her cheeks a few times, and then nodded, her face determined.

"Right. Think about it later. There's work to do. Tikki, spots on!"

 _After a million miles or so,  
We might find out we're home._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: ::shades eyes and looks to the horizon:: Plot ahoy! Lol. I was having great debates with myself over whether or not to include this song, which is why my update is a little late this weekend.

Also, just a PSA, there won't be an update next weekend as I'll be out of town and without internet, but I'll have an update back on schedule the weekend after. Sorry to leave you on a bit of a cliffhanger like this!

The song is "A Million Miles Away" from Aladdin the musical.

Love you all and I'll see you in a couple of weeks! Till next chapter!


	22. Good To Be A Girl

Chapter 21: Good To Be A Girl

The light from the tv cast the room in ever-changing patterns of shadow and light as his cousin snored softly on the couch next to him.

 _"…Citizens are advised to follow all steps of the 'Akuma Attack Safety Guidelines', the most important of which is to stay indoors and away from the area of the attack. Currently, the akuma is following the path of the Seine…"_

Nino sighed heavily and looked away from the tv's glow. The news anchor droned on, but he wasn't listening. His gaze was fixed on his phone, which was currently displaying a series of unanswered texts he'd sent to Alya.

Frowning, he tried calling her again. On the sixth ring she picked up.

"Babe," Alya whispered, suppressed excitement clear in her tone. "I can't talk. I'm getting the _best_ footage of this akuma."

Nino groaned and closed his eyes.

"Where are you?"

"By the Seine, of course. I'm two blocks from the akuma. I've been hiding in alleys and stalking it."

"Alya, that's dangerous!" Nino said, eyes popping open. What did she think she was doing, getting that close to an active akuma? "I know you won't go home, but will you at least back off another couple of blocks?"

She snorted.

"No way! I haven't gotten such good video in ages. The LadyBlog needs this update!"

"And I need you alive," he retorted.

"You're sweet," she replied, but he could tell she was distracted. "Ooh, gotta go. The akuma's on the move. Love you!"

"Alya—!"

But she'd already hung up. Nino frowned down at his phone for a long moment before he shook his head and sighed. Pocketing the phone, he stood and made his way to the door. Guess he was going to have to go track down his story-seeking girlfriend before she got herself into trouble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The brick was cold on Chat's back as he pressed himself against the chimney, chest heaving.

"My Lady," he panted. "What are we going to do?"

Ladybug shook her head and peered around the chimney to see the akuma floating away from them down the street, calling for the superheroes to come out and play as the nightmares he'd brought to life ranged around him. It was a little boy who'd been akumatized this time, calling himself Night Myriad. They hadn't been able to get close to him yet, because every time they did, he pulled another nightmare from them and made it a reality. Retreat had been the only option.

"Nothing else for it," she said, pulling back so that she was hidden again, too. "Lucky Charm!"

A fist-sized, octagonal box fell into her hands. With a frown, she looked around, but nothing stood out. What in the world was she supposed to do with this? A tiny box like this wasn't going to help getting rid of the akuma.

"I think we're going to need a bigger box if we're going to _pack_ this up," Chat said with a grin.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"I don't think that's what this box is for, kitty."

"Alright, m'lady, I give. What's it for then?"

Ladybug shook her head and frowned down at the box in her hand.

"Not sure. I don't see anything, but…"

Something was tugging at the back of her mind and furrowing her brow. What was it?

Then it hit her. Miraculous. This box was the same size and shape as the one she'd discovered the Ladybug miraculous in. Master Fu.

"Chat."

He stood up straighter at her tone and Ladybug closed her fist around the box with a determined nod.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything drastic," she ordered, gesturing to the akuma. "Distract him if you have to, but don't get yourself killed. I have to go see someone."

"What?" Chat said, sounding alarmed. "You're _leaving_?"

She gave him an encouraging smile.

"I'll be back as quick as I can, but I think I know what my Lucky Charm is trying to tell me."

Chat looked dubious, but finally nodded.

"Alright. I'll do what I can until you get back. Just don't be too long?"

She smiled.

"I'll do my best."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Marinette burst into Master Fu's place, panting, and had to pause for a moment to put her hands on her knees, her lungs making a valiant attempt to catch up with the rest of her. She'd run as fast as she physically could, not wanting to leave Chat facing the akuma by himself for longer than she absolutely had to.

"Ah, Marinette," Fu said before she got her breath back "I take it you're here for the help I promised?"

The bluenette nodded, touching the stitch in her side, and Master Fu smiled understandingly at her as he motioned her forward. She followed him over to his old record player and watched as he hit several buttons under a hidden panel. A large box with red designs over the top popped out and Marinette couldn't help her mouth falling open. Fu picked up the box and led her back to the center of the room. Carefully, he opened the box and Marinette watched as compartment after compartment popped out of the sides, showing well over a dozen different miraculouses or the places where they should be. The place for hers and Chat's were empty, of course, as well as the one she guessed was for Master Fu's miraculous, but there were two others in the top center section that were empty as well. The Moth and…

"Which is this one?" She asked, pointing to the empty space.

Fu frowned.

"That is where the Peacock miraculous should be. Unfortunately, it was lost many years ago, along with the Moth miraculous. But that is a discussion for another time."

Marinette looked back up at Master Fu and nodded, mentally chiding herself for losing focus.

"Right. Chat and I can't beat this akuma. What do we need to do?"

Master Fu gestured to all of the miraculouses between them.

"I want you to think very carefully. Is there someone you would trust above all others? Who would be able to keep the secret of the miraculous? Someone who would be worthy to fight beside yourself and Chat Noir?"

Marinette pursed her lips, slowly reaching out a hand to hover over the two other miraculouses in the top center section. The Bee and the Fox. She knew exactly who she wanted fighting by her side, other than Chat, and plucked the Fox miraculous from it's place with a determined smile.

"You know then?"

She looked up and nodded.

"I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _All my girls  
In the world  
It's time for a little chat_

Alya, in all her pajama'd glory, was doing her utmost to be stealthy as she tracked the akuma through the streets of Paris, filming. Ladybug and Chat Noir had gone to ground a while ago and the reporter was beginning to wonder what they were playing at. It didn't seem as though they were trying to stop the akuma any more. Where were the heroes of Paris?

"Alya."

The girl squeaked and spun around, nearly falling over as she realized who was standing behind her in the alley where she'd taken temporary refuge.

"Ladybug?! What are you doing here? Why aren't you out there?"

Alya gestured over her shoulder to the akuma and the superhero smiled at her.

"Because I need your help first."

" _My_ help?" Alya nearly squeed. "Oh my gosh I can't wait to get this!"

Ladybug put a hand on the phone the blogger was raising to begin recording again and shook her head.

"Sorry, but I can't let you record this part. What I'm about to ask of you has to stay an absolute secret. You can't tell _anyone_. Can you do that?"

Alya's eyes had gone wide at the serious tone of her idol and she nodded.

"Yes. Of course. I won't say a word to anyone. Promise."

She held up one hand and put the other on her heart, which made Ladybug smile.

"Good. Here." The superhero held out a fist-sized black box with strange red designs on the top. "Alya Cesaire, this is the Fox miraculous. It bestows the power of illusion on it's wielder. You will use it for the greater good."

 _All my girls  
Make some noise  
It's time for us to talk back_

The blogger reached out and took the box reverently, smiling as big as Ladybug had ever seen. Alya opened the box and a ball of yellow light flew out and zipped around her.

"What is that thing?" She said, holding up a hand to ward off the light until the ball stopped and hovered in front of her.

The light died away to reveal a little orange fox, who's big violet eyes danced with merriment.

"I'm not a thing," he said. "I'm Trixx, your kwami!"

Alya leaned forward with a grin.

"Are you what gives the powers?"

"Yep!"

"That's so awesome!"

Trixx grinned over at Ladybug.

"I like her."

The spotted superhero returned his grin.

"So do I."

Alya slipped the foxtail necklace on and looked to her new kwami, exhilaration making her feel suddenly eight feet tall.

"Alright, what do I do?"

"Just say, 'Trixx, let's pounce!'" The kwami said, twirling in the air.

"Trixx, let's pounce!"

 _We can change the way you think  
An army dressed up all in pink_

Ladybug was grinning at her as the transformation died away. Alya inspected herself, giddy as she saw her tail and felt the ears on top of her head. She also realized that her hair had gone two-tone and there was a flute strapped to her waist.

"This is so _cool_!" She said, turning in a circle as she inspected herself.

Ladybug chuckled.

"You ready?"

"You bet!"

Back by the river, Chat had followed the akuma quite a ways and he was seriously beginning to wonder where Ladybug had gotten to. So far, the akuma had only destroyed some cars and a couple of boats he'd passed. No people were out on the streets at this time of night with an akuma attack going on, which Chat was thankful for, but where was Ladybug?

Suddenly, the akuma turned, his black eyes apparently spotting something, and he grinned maliciously. The teddy bear swung in the akuma's grasp as he darted around a corner and Chat hissed as he took off after him. There was a yell and Chat rounded the corner of the roof just in time to see Night Myriad descending on… Nino?! What was _he_ doing here?

Before Chat could move to save his best friend, a streak of orange darted down into the street and whisked Nino away from the akuma and out of sight over the rooftops. Chat made to run after him, but his tail dragged him back and he looked over his shoulder to see that Ladybug had landed behind him and was holding the offending appendage.

"Ladybug! Did you see that thing? What was it?"

His lady grinned.

"Our help."

 _And just in case you haven't heard  
It's good to be a girl, woah  
_ _It's good to be a girl_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nino had just been trying to find Alya. He'd thought he was still pretty far from the akuma yet, but just as he'd tried to dart across the street to check the alleys on the other side, the akuma had floated into view and spotted him. He'd tried to run, but one of the nightmare creatures had gotten in his way and he'd ended up sprawled in the middle of the street, starring up at the akuma and knowing he had no time to get out of the way.

Then, someone in white and orange had grabbed him up and he found himself flying across the roofs of Paris. It took him a moment to gather his wits enough to speak.

"Hey! Wait! We have to go back!"

The person carrying him paused on a roof a good distance from where the akuma was, set him down, and Nino finally got a good look at her. She was clearly a fox-themed superhero, complete with ears and a bushy tail, and she was watching him with concern.

"Are you okay?"

He grabbed her shoulders.

"Take me back! I was looking for my girlfriend. She's down there alone, trying to get footage of the akuma!"

"Oh, um, sorry but you should stay here where it's safe," the fox-girl said, holding her hands up with a nervous smile. "I'm sure she's fine. In fact, I saw a girl heading away from the akuma just a little bit ago. That was probably her."

Nino frowned at his rescuer and released her.

"Not likely. You don't know my girl. Who are you, anyway?"

"Who, me? Oh, I'm, um, Rena… Rouge! Rena Rouge, yep, that's me! Now, you stay here and be safe, okay? I'll keep a eye out for your girlfriend."

With a wave, Rena Rouge dashed away and Nino watched her leap from roof to roof, back toward the akuma. Then he started looking around. There had to be a way down. He had to find Alya.

 _I can be wonder woman one day  
A damsel in distress  
Fighting off the bad guys in heels and a dress_

Rena landed next to Ladybug and straightened. She wanted to impress her hero and realized that she needed to take this seriously, especially now that she was more than a blogger stalking a story.

"The civilian is out of harms way, safe and sound," she said, putting her hands on her hips with a confident smile. "So, what's the plan?"

Chat Noir crossed his arms and looked her over.

"And you are?"

"Rena Rouge," she responded, glad that Nino had already asked her the question so she didn't stutter over it. "Fox Miraculous. It's a pleasure to be working with you, Chat Noir."

Chat grinned suddenly.

"Nice to have you on the team." He turned to look at Ladybug. "So, do we have a plan then, my lady?"

"I want to try a three-pronged attack," the spotted hero said. "Rena, take the left, Chat, you go right, and I'll take the center. Aim for that teddy bear."

The other two nodded and leapt away.

 _There's more to me than what it seems  
I am complex  
Yeah  
It's good to be a girl_

The three-pronged attack had no effect other than getting all three superheroes thrown unceremoniously into objects far less mobile than they were. It hurt, but not as much as Rena would have expected, and she wondered at that. Was she less susceptible to damage because of the kwami? How did that work exactly?

She squeaked and lost her train of thought as one of the gorilla-looking nightmares came at her faster than she had thought it could move. Rolling more athletically than she'd ever done in her life, she popped up several feet away from the nightmare, dodged a lunge from a faceless man nightmare, and scaled the nearest building.

The other two superheroes landed near her moments later.

"You alright?" Ladybug asked. "I saw that close call."

Rena gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm good. What's next?"

Ladybug sighed and moved to peek over the edge of the building at the akuma victim. Then she shrugged.

"Lucky Charm!"

 _So put on  
Your make up  
Cause we're gonna change it up  
_

A book fell into Ladybug's outstretched hands. The other two superheroes moved closer to see it.

"A book?" Rena said, looking to her idol.

"We'd better get a move on," Chat said from where he was peeking over the room. He jerked a thumb at the akuma and added, "We're _booked_ for the night."

Ladybug sighed and Rena snorted a laugh. The red-suited superhero moved back to looking over the roof edge and frowned as she glanced around. Then, she nodded decisively.

"Chat, I need your belt."

As he handed it over, she continued.

"Give us a couple of minutes to get a head start and then go get the akuma's attention and draw him toward the Eiffel Tower."

"Roger that, bugaboo. And what are you lovely ladies going to be up to?"

Ladybug grinned.

 _Impossible is not a dream  
Cause you can be anything_

Rena looked up at the Eiffel Tower, looming above she and Ladybug, before she looked back at the other superhero.

"I don't know. How am I supposed to do this? Like, where do I even start?"

Ladybug smiled gently.

"Just close your eyes and concentrate on what you're trying to create. Then play and keep that image firmly in your mind. You remember the description his mom gave us?"

Rena took a deep breath and nodded before closing her eyes and thinking hard. She pictured the boy's mom first, soft curly hair and sweet-faced, then she carefully went through each bit of the description the woman had given them, putting each piece carefully in place. She had to get everything just right. The dark might help cover up some more minor mistakes, but she had to get everything as close as possible.

When she thought she had it, she took another deep breath and raised the flute to her lips.

"Mirage!"

 _The message coming from my lips  
Is step out with red lipstick  
And just in case you haven't heard_

 _It's good to be a girl, woah_

"Hey, kid!" Chat called.

The akuma turned with an ugly scowl.

"You're really no _dream_ come true, you know that?"

Night Myriad growled and darted forward suddenly. Chat leapt backwards with a yelp, cartwheeling out of the immediate line of fire as the akuma clutched the teddy bear with one arm and pointed at the superhero. A thin cloud of mist shot from the boy's hand and straight at Chat, who barely managed to dodge.

Then he was jumping over giant nightmare snakes and spiders, playing leap frog over the heads of the nightmare gorillas and faceless men, and rolling out of the reach of a many-armed creature with a squirrel face.

 _It's good to be a girl  
I can be wonder woman one day  
A damsel in distress  
Fighting off the bad guys in heels and a dress_

Chat bounced up, laughing.

"Can't catch me that easily. You really think _they're_ fast enough? Not a chance. Why not come at me yourself, you little terror?"

The look the akuma gave Chat at that moment could have killed. The next moment, he was coming straight at the superhero, much faster than Chat had expected, and the blonde took off toward the Eiffel Tower, hoping he'd be able to outpace his pursuer.

"Come on then, slow-poke! Come get me!"

 _It's more to me than what it seems  
I am complex  
Yeah  
It's good to be a girl_

Rena opened her eyes and grinned.

"So cool!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Ladybug, who now looked like the boy's mom. She matched Rena's grin. "This is perfect. Now, where did Chat get to?"

"Heads up!" Came Chat's distant voice.

Both girls turned to see the superhero pelting full-tilt toward them, the akuma close on his heels. Ladybug darted away to take her place and Rena ran forward to help Chat. She ran straight at the closest of the nightmares and, when she was almost right on top of it, she skidded around, tripping it up and bolting back the way she'd come, Chat right beside her.

He gave her a grateful grin before he darted left and she went right, getting out of the way. A moment later, Night Myriad and his nightmares stopped cold as the akuma stared at the house in front of him. It was his house, just as his mother had described it to Rena Rouge and Ladybug, complete with the tilted knocker and blue-framed windows.

All the girls in the house  
If you're with me  
Shout it loud

Slowly, the akuma walked forward, clearly confused as to why his house was here of all places. As he got close enough, Ladybug called out gently.

"Auguste? Come here, _mon chou*_."

"M… maman?" Said the akuma, hesitantly.

"Come here, _mon amour**_. It's time for your bedtime story."

Slowly, the akuma pushed open the door and made his way through the house to his bedroom, where Ladybug sat with the book of nursery rhymes. She held out a hand and smiled.

The akuma grinned and ran to her, cuddling right in as she began reading.

Outside, Rena waited for the boy to become engrossed before she slowly let the illusion fall.

 _Are you with me?  
_ _Yeah!  
_ _Are you with me?  
_ _Yeah!_

So engrossed was the boy that he didn't even notice when Chat came up behind him and touched the bear with his Cataclysm to release the akuma. It was only when the butterfly began fluttering away that he sat up in surprise and realized that it was Ladybug reading to him. She stood and caught the butterfly and as the transformation melted away, the little boy looked around in confusion.

"Maman?"

"Auguste!"

His mother raced forward and swept him up in her arms, hugging him tight and thanking the superheroes as her little boy hugged her back just as fiercely.

 _All the boys in the crowd  
If you get it  
Say it loud_

Three sets of beeps broke into the mother's thanks and the superheroes made their escapes, Chat going in the opposite direction of Ladybug and Rena Rouge.

The two girls landed in an alley some distance from the Eiffel Tower and Alya dropped the transformation. Ladybug held out her hand and Alya put a hand over the necklace.

"Let me keep it? Please? I swear, I won't tell anyone! And I'll be able to help you in the future too!"

Ladybug shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Alya, but I have to take it back. It's too dangerous to leave it with you."

"But—"

"Alya, you promised."

Reluctantly, Alya took the necklace off and put it back in the box, handing it over to the other superhero. Ladybug gave her an understanding smile and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't look so upset. This is hardly the only time we'll need your help. I'm sure I'll be calling on you again."

Alya looked up, hope in her eyes.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

 _Are you with me?  
_ _Yeah!  
_ _Are you with me?  
_ _Yeah!_

Master Fu stood unobtrusively on the street corner, nodding to himself as he watched the dark-haired young man spot Alya and dash across the street to her, sweeping her up in a bear hug. The young man pulled away from his girlfriend just enough that he could look at her face before he clearly began worriedly berating her and demanding to know where she'd been, because he'd been looking everywhere and had thought something had happened to her.

Fu smiled to himself as the young man hugged Alya again without even giving her a chance to reply.

"Master?" Whispered his kwami as he watched the two young people as well. "Are you thinking…?"

"Yes, Wayzz," replied Fu with a smile. "I am indeed thinking."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Well hi there. It's been a few months. Sorry about that guys. I did mean to get this chapter done waaaaay sooner.

A heads up for my readers: I won't be updating on a weekly basis any longer, but I will continue to write and update this story, so don't give up on me! I just can't keep it up. Sorry guys.

The song is "Good to Be A Girl" by Tricia, who for many years was the lead singer of the group Superchick. I highly recommend looking them up if you like girl power songs. :)

Also, I ship DJWifi in all it's forms.

 _*Mon chou_ \- literally 'my cabbage'. It's an actual thing French parents call their kids. We in America have the stork, the French have the cabbage patch. Go figure. Lol.

** _Mon amour_ – my love

Don't forget to let me know what you thought! Till next chapter!


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